cough-cold-flu
Tracheostomy
Instructed patient how can I prevent infections. Keep your mouth clean. Saliva and mucus contain germs that cause infection if they enter your airway. Brush your teeth twice a day. Suction your mouth as needed. Use a mouth wash twice a day or as directed. Take deep breaths and cough 10 times each hour. This will decrease your risk for a lung infection. Take a deep breath and hold it for as long as you can. Let the air out and then cough strongly. Deep breaths help open your airway. You may be given an incentive spirometer to help you take deep breaths. Put the plastic piece in your mouth and take a slow, deep breath, then let the air out and cough. Repeat these steps 10 times every hour.
Instructed patient if you have a hard time breathing, you may have secretions in your trach tube. Take out the inner cannula to check for mucous and clean if necessary. Then replace it. If your breathing does not get better, keep using your humidity, and cough hard.
Instructed patient how do I care for my skin around my trach tube. Clean your skin at least once each day. You may need to clean it more often if you cough up a lot of thick mucus. You may need someone to help you clean your skin. Wash your hands and put on gloves. This will prevent infection. Suction the area around your stoma. This will help remove mucus .Clean your skin around the stoma, clean the tube flanges, change wet or dirty trach ties., place a gauze between your skin and the flanges and check your skin every day for signs of infection. Look for redness or swelling of the skin around your tube. Also look for pus, bleeding, or a rash.
Instructed patient when you cough, have a tissue or cloth ready to catch the mucus coming from your tube. Is important to keep the tube free of thick mucus. You should always carry an extra tube with you in case your tube gets plugged.
Instructed patient about some common ways to keep the air you breathe moist are:putting a wet gauze or cloth over the outside of your tube. Keep it moist, ,using a humidifier in your home when the heater is on and the air is dry. A few drops of salt water (saline) will loosen a plug of thick mucus. Put a few drops in your tube and windpipe, then take a deep breath and cough to help bring up the mucus.
Instructed patient call your doctor if you have:fever or chills, redness, swelling, or pain that is getting worse, bleeding or drainage from the hole, cough or shortness of breath, even after you suction your tube, nausea or vomiting, any new or unusual symptoms.