Living with a Trach

I have been kindly asked by Association of the Associations of Association of Trachs for Kids to create this blog about how to safely suction a trach set up on a ventilator.  When someone feels something in their throat, they try coughing to get it out of their lungs. Someone who has a tracheostomy--an hole over the trachea--are not able to cough that foreign object out alone. Instead, a small tube is placed down the tracheostomy which acts like a vacuum to suction out the foreign objects, secretions, mucus, or saliva that is down there.  What supplies are needed to suction a trach? To safely and successfully suction out the foreign object, you will need the following: Suctioning machine (Golisano Children’s Hospital, 2023) Inline-suctioning device that’s the correct size for the patient (Golisano Children’s Hospital, 2023) Sterile saline bullets to help thin the secretions (Golisano Children’s Hospital, 2023). When do you know to suction a trach? According to Dsouza et al, su...