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