When you have a tracheostomy tube, it is important to do daily care to prevent infection and to prevent your tracheostomy tube from becoming clogged with mucus. Caring for your tracheostomy tube may include things such as clearing the airways of mucus, cleaning the inner cannula, cleaning your tracheostomy site, suctioning, using a nebulizer and keeping your tracheostomy site dry. Join me this week as I discuss how to care for your tracheostomy tube, and I will share some tips I have learned. #lifewithavent #tracheostomy #respiratorycare

Check the airways for mucus
As we sleep, mucus settles in our airways. When we wake up in the morning and sit up right, the mucus in our airways shifts. One of the first things which should be done in the morning is check the airways for mucus.

For me, I almost always have mucus in my airways in the morning. My airways will feel heavy and congested. Many times, my breathing will sound different. There may be a rattling sound or my breathing may sound louder or more labored.

To get rid of the mucus, you can do two things. First, you can use your nebulizer. I usually run 5 mL of normal saline through my nebulizer. This helps loosen up the mucus in my airways. For more information about using a nebulizer, please see the video Have a nebulizer? Info you need to know [ Ссылка ]

Once the mucus is loosened in the airways, next you will need to clear the airways. If you can cough, coughing is all that may be needed to get rid of the mucus. If you cannot cough or if coughing does not get rid of the mucus, a suction machine is a device you can use to get rid of the mucus from the airways. For more details about suctioning, please see the video How to Suction. Info you need to know [ Ссылка ]

Any mucus which is coughed up or is suctioned up by the suction machine is called sputum. It is important to examine the sputum for any changes. Normal sputum should have a watery consistency and should be clear or white in color. If there are any changes in color or consistency of the sputum, this may indicate an underlying health condition is present. To learn more about sputum and its importance in identifying a health concern, please see the video, in sickness and in health, know your sputum [ Ссылка ]

Granualtion Tissue
A complication of having a tracheotomy tube is the development of granulation tissue. This tissue will have a reddish brown appearance and will look as though it is growing around the tracheostomy tube. Granulation tissue is the body’s response to trying to heal the tracheostomy site. For more information about granulation tissue, please see the following video: [ Ссылка ]

Granulation tissue is highly vascularized and will bleed easily. When changing out the tracehcsotmy tube, the granulation tissue may bleed. This is normal. My tracheostomy site frequently bleeds when I do a trach exchange. If you wish to see what happens to my granulation tissue during a tracheostomy tube exchange, please see the video How to do a tracheotomy exchange at home [ Ссылка ]

Granulation tissue may range from only being a nuisance to being very painful. If the tissue is causing issues with doing a tracheostomy tube exchange or becomes very painful, consult with your primary care provider or pulmonologist. There are methods they can use to remove the granulation tissue.

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