The COVID-19 crisis has fundamentally shifted the emergency medicine landscape. Providers are exhausted, afraid, and overwhelmed by an increasingly taxed health system. Patients’ lives hang in the balance, and research shows that they’re just as afraid. Fear of the novel coronavirus is now keeping patients with emergency symptoms away from the emergency room. 

COVID-19 has fundamentally changed everything about how people live. As we face one of the world’s highest infection rates, many Americans remain quarantined in their homes. Choices that once seemed innocuous, such as going to the dentist or the grocery store, can now expose people to a lethal virus. 

Suctioning a trach tube can help keep tracheostomy patients healthy, clear the airway, and reduce the risk of serious infections. Many trach patients are able to suction their own tubes at home. Some need the assistance of medical providers, especially when they are hospitalized, suffering respiratory distress, or have other comorbidities. Here’s what you need to know about trach tube suction.

Every piece of equipment your agency buys is an investment in both the long-term growth and viability of your company and the health of the people you serve. This latter piece of the puzzle can be difficult to quantify. After all, it’s hard to assign a value to saving and improving lives, greater effectiveness among your employees, and in many cases, reduced workplace stress and trauma. Yet every agency must operate under budget constraints, acting as good stewards of whatever budget they have. So how much should you invest in portable suction machines? As with most expenditures, there’s no single figure or percentage that will apply to every organization. Here are some factors to weigh when making your purchase.

Waste management has always formed the core of infection prevention. The COVID-19 crisis brings this fact to the fore of every medical provider’s consciousness. Fluid waste disposal and basic suction catheter maintenance are not just boxes to check off on a form. They can mean the difference between life and death, between a pandemic spreading to others or stopping with you. These guidelines can help you manage fluid waste, protect your patients, and stop the spread of contagious infections.

Tachycardia can be a sign of respiratory distress. It can also be a complication of interventions to treat respiratory distress, including suctioning. First responders and medical providers must have a clear understanding of the link between tachycardia and suctioning so that they can reduce the risk of patient injuries and improve both long- and short-term outcomes.

Hypercapnia, also known as hypercarbia or carbon dioxide toxicity, causes dangerous levels of CO2 in the blood. In most cases, it signals a respiratory problem such as poor lung function, but it can also happen among deep divers, particularly when they do not breathe adequately, or have contaminated oxygen supplies. 

Knowing the signs and symptoms of carbon dioxide toxicity can save lives and equip medical personnel and first responders to act quickly.

Respiratory failure and respiratory distress are both medical emergencies that demand prompt treatment. Both present special dangers to vulnerable groups such as children, elders, and people with chronic illnesses. Respiratory distress, for example, affects about 1 percent of newborns, and is the leading cause of death in neonates born prematurely.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of disease-related death in the United States. Though people of widely varying health profiles can develop this disorder, it is more common among people who smoke. First responders in the Deep South and in other regions where smoking is common may regularly encounter patients with COPD. Suctioning these patients demands skill and compassion. Here’s what you need to know about suctioning a patient with COPD.

Suctioning can prove life-saving in neonates, particularly those born prematurely and those struggling with the transition from fetus to neonate. Like any medical intervention, it also presents some risks, especially if performed absent medical indication or in a hasty and thoughtless fashion. Identifying the most common neonatal suction catheter complications can help you reduce the risk your patients face, improving care outcomes and potentially even saving lives.