Table of Contents
- 1 What causes increased secretions with tracheostomy?
- 2 How do you prevent secretions after a tracheostomy?
- 3 Which complication is the most common in a patient with a tracheostomy?
- 4 What is the quality of life after a tracheostomy?
- 5 What causes excess secretions?
- 6 What are the complications of a tracheostomy?
- 7 How do you manage patients with copious secretions?
What causes increased secretions with tracheostomy?
Secretions are a natural response to the presence of the tracheostomy tube in the airway. With the cuff inflated, excess secretions are expected as a result of poor pharyngeal and laryngeal sensation, and reduced subglottic pressure and cough strength.
How do you prevent secretions after a tracheostomy?
Ways to keep secretions thin and loose
- Fill your bathtub with hot water. Sit in the steam-filled bathroom for 20 minutes.
- Put moist gauze over your tracheostomy tube.
- Stand in the shower with the water pointed away from your tracheostomy tube.
- Fill a spray bottle with new saline solution.
What is excess secretions?
Excessive respiratory secretion is a build up of fluid in the upper respiratory system. Understanding its causes, prevention, and treatment will help most people find relief.
Which complication is the most common in a patient with a tracheostomy?
Obstruction. Obstruction of tracheostomy tube was a common complication. The most frequent cause of obstruction was plugging of the tracheostomy tube with a crust or mucous plug. These plugs can also be aspirated and lead to atelectasis or lung abscess.
What is the quality of life after a tracheostomy?
The median survival after tracheostomy was 21 months (range, 0-155 months). The survival rate was 65% by 1 year and 45% by 2 years after tracheostomy. Survival was significantly shorter in patients older than 60 years at tracheostomy, with a hazard ratio of dying of 2.1 (95% confidence interval, 1.1-3.9).
How do you manage excessive secretions?
Pharmacological Treatments Drying agents: Anticholinergic agents such as scopolamine or glycopyrrolate may be very helpful for excessive mucus production. Watch for anticholinergic side-effects (dry mouth, urinary retention), or over-drying, which may cause overly thick mucus and mucus plugging (see Fast Fact #109).
What causes excess secretions?
Excess mucus, sometimes referred to as chronic mucus hypersecretion or chronic sputum production, can be caused by a wide range of factors, from allergies to an infection, cigarette smoke exposure to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
What are the complications of a tracheostomy?
Complications and Risks of Tracheostomy
- Bleeding.
- Air trapped around the lungs (pneumothorax)
- Air trapped in the deeper layers of the chest(pneumomediastinum)
- Air trapped underneath the skin around the tracheostomy (subcutaneous emphysema)
- Damage to the swallowing tube (esophagus)
What medication reduces mucus production?
Expectorants, such as guaifenesin (Mucinex, Robitussin) can thin and loosen mucus so it will clear out of your throat and chest. Prescription medications. Mucolytics, such as hypertonic saline (Nebusal) and dornase alfa (Pulmozyme) are mucus thinners that you inhale through a nebulizer.
How do you manage patients with copious secretions?
In patients with thick, copious secretions, heated humidification is superior to a heat and moisture exchanger. Airway suctioning is the most important secretion removal technique. Open-circuit and closed-circuit suctioning have similar efficacy.