Conclusion
Among children with BPD and tracheostomies, P. aeruginosa in the
respiratory tract was associated with failure to decannulate by 3 years
post-tracheostomy, but neither this organism nor pathogenic organisms
collectively were found to be associated with evident respiratory
dysfunction. Our findings suggest a unique, less detrimental role ofP. aeruginosa in the respiratory tract may exist for children
with tracheostomies compared with that in other populations. This
implies that active respiratory culture monitoring may be of limited
benefit in promoting respiratory health in children with tracheostomies,
though further investigation is necessary to confirm these
relationships.