# Short-term perceived quality of life after surgical resection for benign tracheal stenosis: a pre-post intervention study

## TL;DR

This study shows that surgery for tracheal narrowing significantly improves patients' quality of life, especially for those with a history of Covid-19.

## Contribution

The study introduces a mixed-methods approach to assess short-term quality of life after tracheal stenosis surgery, highlighting differences in recovery among patients with and without a history of Covid-19.

## Key findings

- Surgical resection significantly improved overall quality of life with a mean total score reduction of −14.64.
- Patients with a history of Covid-19 showed greater improvements in general functionality and psychological well-being.
- General functionality and psychological well-being scores improved notably after surgery.

## Abstract

Benign tracheal stenosis, as a complication of intubation or tracheotomy, is a rare but life-threatening condition. Surgical resection with end-to-end anastomosis is considered the standard treatment, when possible, providing satisfactory results in over 90% of cases. However, limited research has focused on assessing the subjective perception of quality of life (QoL) following this surgical intervention.

This study involved patients who underwent surgical treatment for tracheal stenosis at the Thoracic Surgery Unit of Pisa over a 10-year period, including 12 patients treated after March 2020 during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. A dedicated mixed-method questionnaire was administered to evaluate short-term perceived QoL across three domains: general functionality, organ-specific functionality and psychological well-being. The assessment was performed both before surgery (PRE-period) and 3 months after surgery (POST-period).

The study included 22 patients and found a significant overall improvement in QoL following surgery, with a mean total score reduction of −14.64 (95% CI: −18.45 to 10.90, P < 0.001). General functionality and psychological well-being scores improved notably, with POST-PRE differences of −7.59 (95% CI: −9.22 to 5.68, P = 0.015) and −3.18 (95% CI: −4.22 to 1.91; P = 0.046), respectively. Patients with a history of Covid-19 showed greater improvements in general functionality (P = 0.042) and psychological well-being (P = 0.043) than others.

Surgical intervention for tracheal stenosis significantly enhances perceived patients’ QoL, particularly in general functionality and psychological well-being areas. The results indicate that patients with a history of Covid-19 may experience a more pronounced recovery. Despite the risk of early postoperative complications, the overall improvement in QoL supports the effectiveness of surgical treatment.

Benign tracheal stenosis (BTS) is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition that arises, in most cases, as a complication of invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), such as oro-tracheal intubation and tracheotomy [1].