Table 3.

Clinical features of four patients with dyspnea 6 months after percutaneous dilatational tracheotomy (PDT)

Feature	Patient 1	Patient 2	Patient 3	Patient 4
Underlying disease	Ileus	Colon cancer	Laryngeal cancer	COPD
Concomitant condition	–	–	Supraglottic edema due to radiotherapy	–
Duration of endotracheal intubation prior to PDT (days)	9	14	0	8
Indication for PDT	1	1	2	1
Trachea inflammation prior to PDT	+	+	–	–
Tracheal ring fracture due to PDT with subsequent resection	+	–	–	–
Dyspnea
at rest	+	–	+	–
on exertion	+	+	+	+
Stridor
inspiration	+	–	+	–
expiration	+	–	+	–

COPD Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; 1: prolonged ventilation; 2: securing the airway for subsequent ENT surgery