Study Design, Population, and Data Source
This single-center, retrospective cohort study included aerobic
bacterial respiratory cultures (tracheostomy aspirate[TA] or
bronchoalveolar lavage[BAL]) obtained from children ages 2 months-18
years with tracheostomies at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical
Center (CCHMC) between January 2010 and December 2018. Inpatient,
outpatient, and laboratory-collected cultures were included across the
care continuum. Children were identified using an existing internal
tracheostomy patient registry maintained by the Division of Pulmonary
Medicine. Children with cystic fibrosis were excluded. Detailed
demographic, clinical, diagnostic, and respiratory culture data for all
encounters were obtained from the electronic medical record (EMR).
Culture data was extracted from the EMR