Meier J, et al. - Researchers analyzed data of all patients who had undergone removal of an oropharyngeal tumor and microsurgical tissue transfer at their department in order to evaluate how early elective tracheostomy influence the incidence of postoperative pneumonia and delirium. In total, they analyzed 47 cases. These patients had numerous benefits of early primary tracheostomy such as lower complication rates with regard to pneumonia and postoperative delirium and shorter duration of both mechanical ventilation and intensive care unit (ICU) stays.