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.

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.

Nasopharyngeal and nasotracheal suctioning are safe, effective alternatives to oral suctioning, especially for patients with oral obstructions such as loose dentures or patients who are unable to cooperate with oral suctioning. Though the procedures are similar, nasotracheal suctioning requires deeper penetration. Here’s what you need to know about these two important interventions.

Tracheostomies are highly prevalent, particularly in long-term skilled nursing facilities and intensive care units, and so all medical providers must master tracheostomy secretion management. Tracheostomy reduces cough strength, lowers subglottic pressure, and weakens sensations in the pharynx and larynx. This causes secretions to accumulate in the airway, although the volume and thickness of the secretions vary significantly from patient to patient. Medical professionals, first responders, and patients with tracheostomies must learn how to manage tracheostomy secretions to improve patient comfort and reduce the risk of infection, aspiration, and other compilations.

Whether you’re performing routine suctioning during surgical procedures, suctioning a patient on a ventilator, or performing life-saving procedures to prevent or reduce aspiration, diligent suction canister management is critical to proper patient care. Particularly as concerns about a global flu or coronavirus pandemic mount, your agency must work proactively to reduce the risk of transmitting contagious diseases via equipment such as suction machines. Here are five things you need to know about suction canister management. 

Hypoxia is one of the most common suctioning complications. It’s also preventable in most scenarios. Hyperoxygenating a patient prior to suctioning can reduce the risk of hypoxia, as well as other suctioning complications. Here’s what you need to know about the process. 

Sooner or later, almost every medical provider sees a patient who needs nasal suctioning. This mainstay of emergency medicine saves lives, shortens hospital stays, and reduces medical complications. If you work in EMS, you may suction patients daily. For other providers, suctioning is a rarity. No matter where you work, a basic familiarity with the procedures for nasal suctioning is critical to quality patient care. 

As a foundational tool in the basic airway management toolkit, bag mask ventilation can save lives, relieve patient stress, and make transport easier. Bag mask ventilation is appropriate when a patient shows signs of hypoxic respiratory failure, apnea, or hypoxically induced altered mental states. Patients who are hyperventilating or have sustained injuries that reduce respiratory effort may also require ventilation. It may be appropriate to ventilate women in labor when there is reason to believe that they are not getting adequate oxygen or are so fatigued that breathing becomes difficult. 

Treating patients during emergencies, whether you’re a doctor, nurse, or EMS professional, is stressful and exhausting work. Competent, compassionate care often requires working as quickly as possible while minimizing needless distractions. Many providers skip lunch and breaks, ignore their own personal needs, and work hour after hour in frigid temperatures or on empty stomachs. So it’s understandable that you might skip cleaning your suction machine, especially if you feel burdened by rules and regulations that seem to do little to help patients. A dirty suction machine, however, is more than just a technical violation of the rules. It poses a serious threat to vulnerable patients. 

Quickly and efficiently hooking up your portable suction machine can save precious seconds, preventing hypoxia and reducing the risk of serious respiratory complications. Hooking up a suction machine should only take a few seconds. However, if you’ve never done it before, the process can feel overwhelming and frustrating. It’s important that your team regularly drill the process, particularly if using suction machines is an infrequent part of your job with which team members have little practice. Here are the basic steps for getting your machine ready to go.