Your Care at Home:
Your Care at Home:Tracheotomy CarePage 1 of 2*****Your Care at Home: Tracheotomy Care*****NarratorYou’ve had a tracheotomy, surgery to create an opening in your windpipe to help you breathe, and youmay need it for a while.In the next few minutes, we’re going to show you some best practices for caring for this opening and thetube that’s inserted through it. Now, as with any medical procedure, your healthcare provider may havespecific instructions that he or she may want you to follow. Be sure to listen to their advice.Before you leave the hospital, a nurse or licensed care provider should teach you how to care for yourtracheostomy. Take advantage of this. You and your family should ask questions and actuallydemonstrate what you’ve learned. It will give you greater peace of mind as you go home.Because the tracheostomy tube, or trach tube is the airway to bring oxygen to your lungs, it’s criticallyimportant to keep the tube and the opening around it clean. Of course, as with any cleaning procedure,be sure to wash your hands both before and after you clean your tracheostomy. The opening, called thestoma, should be cleaned every day with mild soap and water. Replace the dressing with a clean dry one.Your trach tube also needs to be cared for daily to keep it working properly. This includes: Suctioning the tube as recommended by your healthcare provider so it doesn’t get blocked bysecretions, Cleaning the tube, and Humidifying the air you breatheMake sure you follow the techniques you were taught in the hospital for these procedures. In caring foryour trach, always be on the lookout for any sign of infection. This might include: A fever or chills
A cough Redness or swelling
New or increasing pain
Bleeding
Any pus at the opening or stoma, or Nausea or vomiting that persists more than 2 days after you leave the hospital despite anti-nauseamedicationsContact your healthcare provider if you experience any of these symptoms. Obviously, because the trachtube is helping you to breathe, it’s critical that it remains in place. If you experience a forceful fit ofcoughing or you feel like you are choking and the tube is coming out, you’ll need help immediately.Before you leave the hospital, make sure you’ve established a plan for someone who lives with you orneighbor to handle such emergencies, since speech may not be an option. If you’re going outside, besure to cover your tracheostomy with a scarf or other cloth, so that dust and dirt cannot get in. Being verycautious about breathing in water or small particles through your tracheostomy, such as powders, spraysor bits of food will also go a long way to keeping you and your tracheostomy safe.© The Wellness NetworkPage 2 of 2
© The Wellness Network
