Heading home with a new tracheostomy after head and neck cancer surgery can feel intimidating, but if you follow instructions from your care team and establish a clear routine, you can build your ...

Tracheotomy is a common procedure in critically ill patients who require prolonged mechanical ventilation. The existing oral endotracheal tube is replaced with a percutaneous endotracheal tube that is ...

Surgically opening the windpipe, or trachea, within the first seven days of the start of mechanical ventilation decreases the time patients spend on ventilators, shortens their ICU stay and lowers ...

The emotional strain on parents and other caregivers faced with deciding whether a tracheotomy is the best treatment for their child is hard to measure. The latest clinical practice guideline from the ...

Tracheostomy remains a cornerstone intervention in modern intensive care, offering a secure airway for patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation. Practice has evolved from exclusively ...

OBSTRUCTION of the upper respiratory airway due to laryngopharyngeal paralysis is frequent in acute poliomyelitis, extensive polyneuritis, head injuries, myasthenic crises or coma induced by drug ...

Adult ICU patients who received tracheotomy six to eight days vs. 13 to 15 days after mechanical ventilation did not have a significant reduction in the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia, ...

The toilet of the tracheotomy tube must be taught in detail to each person who has to care for the operated patient. Of maximum importance is the creation of proper respect for the patient's vital ...

The third article in our series on tracheostomy care discusses the care of patients with a permanent tracheostomy. While these patients make up a small proportion of all patients who have a ...

Last week a palliative care nurse told me about a patient who was refused admission to a hospital ward because the staff did not know how to look after her tracheostomy. It is disappointing that ...