How to Care for Tracheostomy Patients
A tracheostomy is a surgical procedure in which an incision is made in the trachea--the windpipe that leads to the lungs--to help the patient breathe. The resulting opening is called a stoma and requires daily care to prevent infection. Patients with a recent tracheostomy or patients on ventilators may require more frequent care.
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Things You'll Need
- Towel roll
- 50 percent hydrogen peroxide solution
- Sterile water
- 2 small containers
- Cotton swabs
- Tracheostomy ties
- Precut tracheostomy gauze
Instructions
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1
Wash your hands and instruct the patient to lie on their back with a towel roll under their shoulders. This will allow you to see the stoma and tracheostomy tube more easily. Pour hydrogen peroxide solution into one cup and sterile water into another.
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2
Soak cotton swabs in the hydrogen peroxide solution and clean the skin around the tube. Use one swab for each quarter-circle around the stoma without allowing any solution to get into the tracheostomy tube or stoma. Your doctor may instruct you to use soap and water in some cases, reserving hydrogen peroxide only for encrusted secretions.
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3
Rinse the area around the stoma with a cotton swab soaked in sterile water. Dry the area with cotton swabs or a gauze pad. Check the skin under the tracheostomy ties and change the ties if needed.
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4
Change the dressing on a recent tracheostomy if the dressing is moist, in order to prevent skin irritation. Open a piece of precut tracheostomy gauze and fold it into a U shape. Tuck the gauze under the tracheostomy tube so that it's flush with the skin. Ensure that the dressing doesn't cover the opening of the tube.
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Check the dressings on an older tracheostomy. You may not need to change the dressing if the skin is in good condition. However, the stoma should be completely healed without any rash or redness.
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