Tracheostomy Research Paper Outline
What is a Tracheostomy?
Alex Lopez
English 10
Mr. Glavin
6 June 2013 Lopez i
Outline
THESIS: The everyday living of a tracheostomy and ventilator patient consists of the care that is needed, the risks that are taken, and how it affects life.
I. What is a tracheostomy?
A. A tracheostomy is an opening of the windpipe done surgically, called a stoma.
B. A tube, known as a trach, is inserted through the stoma allowing the patient to breath from the trach.
C. These are some of the reason why the procedure is done to patients, which include a weakened diaphragm, paralyzed from the diaphragm or neck down, or people with lung cancer, etc.
D. The risks of doing this procedure …show more content…
are; bleeding, air trapped around the lung, or damage to the esophagus, etc.
II. Tracheostomy Care is needed for patients to have a healthy life.
A. Care for the stoma is important to prevent an infection by using the following: normal saline (sodium chloride), gauze, 2x2 split gauze, cotton-tipped applicators, and gloves.
B. Suctioning the trach with a catheter removes mucus from the lungs allowing patient to breath better
C. Changing the trach is something that done on patients with traches
III. Everyday Living of a Tracheostomy Patient Lopez ii
A. Preparing the emergency equipment is important before going out to places
B. The Heat Moisture Exchanger works just like a person’s nose
C. A concentrator provides the patient oxygen from the air around us directly to them
IV. What is a Ventilator?
A. How does a ventilator work?
B. Patients who need ventilators are the ones that can’t breathe on their own, need oxygen directly to their lungs, and that retain too much carbon dioxide
C. A few models of home ventilators are the LTV 950, HT50, and the HT70
Lopez 1
What is a Tracheostomy?
A tracheostomy is a procedure performed by otolaryngologist where an opening is done surgically in the windpipe (trachea) called a stoma. A tube, known as a trach or tracheostomy tube, is inserted into the stoma allowing the patient to breathe from the trach. The trach has inner tube called a cannula that leads directly to the lungs. The everyday living of a tracheostomy and ventilator patient consists of the case that is needed, the risks that are taken, and how it affects people 's lives.
The Tracheostomy
This procedure takes approximately 30 minutes to be done.
The risks before and after this procedure are having bleeding, air trapped around the lung (pneumothorax), or damage to the vocal cords, etc. A lot of bleeding can then create blood clots, which can be suctioned out through the trach. Air trapped around the lung, also known as pneumothorax, can be dangerous if it 's not treated on time. The air that is trapped around the lung causes the lung to collapse. A sharp chest pain is one of the symptoms that a patient feels when a pneumothorax occurs. A chest tube is surgically inserted, either at bedside or operating room, directly to the trapped air. Depending on how bad the pneumothorax is, the chest tube may or may not be connected to a machine where it suctions out the air that is trapped. Removing the air can take days or even weeks before the lung is fully inflated. During the procedure, there is a risk of the vocal cords of the patient to be damaged. There are patients whose vocal cords are fine after and are able to talk like normal. When patients have trouble talking, Speech Pathologist try a valve called a Passy-Muir Valve. The Passy-Muir Valve traps the air from coming out
through Lopez 2 the trach and lets it come out from the mouth, making it easier for patients to talk or be able to talk. Tracheostomy Care The stoma is cleaned about twice a day on a tracheostomy patient. The trach and mucus (secretions) can cause irritation to the stoma and give it a bad odor. The stoma is cleaned with normal saline (sodium chloride), gauze, cotton-tipped applicators and gloves. This can prevent from the patient getting an infection. After cleaning the stoma, split gauze is put around the trach to absorb the mucus that comes out from the stoma. Suctioning is another part to the trach care. A catheter that is connected to machine is inserted into the trach going down to the end of the trach or to lungs sucking out the mucus. This clears out the trach and lungs making it easier for the patients to breath. Some patients have the ability to cough up the secretions without being suctioned. Another tracheostomy care is changing the trach and cleaning it afterwards. Trach patients need their trach changed every two weeks to a month or as needed. Changing a trach doesn 't require a procedure to be done. Before a trach is changed, caregivers prepare the spare trach by adding some lubricating gel around the cannula so it 'll slide through the stoma smoothly. Caregivers make sure they have a respirator bag (ambu bag) near in case an emergency, the patient has to be given air manually. Depending on the situation and patient, once the trach has been taken out, it may have tried mucus in the trach causing the patient to have difficulty breathing. Trach cleaning kits come with tools to clean the trach after being changed. The kits come with a brush, pipe cleaners, gauze sponges,
Lopez 3 cotton-tipped applicators, and gloves. Some patients reuse their traches depending on which kind they have.
Everyday Living
Some patients have the ability to go out with a tracheostomy tube and some that don 't. Caregivers make sure they have all the needed equipment before going out to places. For example: suction machine, ambu bag, extra trach, gauze, trach ties, etc. In case of an emergency, caregivers are prepared with the needed supplies. When patients go out they use a Heat Moister Exchanger (HME), can also be called a nose. The HME works like a person 's nose. Patients don 't receive that warmth air that other people do because the air by passes the nose and mouth. When they don 't get any humidification, patient 's lungs dry up. To avoid this, they poor down a saline bullet (sodium chloride) to keep the lung moistened and use the HME. Patients that need oxygen, take an oxygen tank with them and sometimes a spare one, depending how long they will be out of home. When patients are on oxygen continuously at home, they use a machine called a concentrator. A concentrator is a machine that takes the oxygen from the air around us to give to the patient. There are portable and non-portable concentrators for patients. Patients with traches cannot be around people that smoke especially when patients have oxygen tanks or concentrators. Since the trach leads directly to the lungs, the smoke can affect the patient 's lungs. When oxygen tanks or concentrators are in use around smokers, they make everything more flammable. The fire can get hotter than just a normal fire. Oxygen tanks can explode if the tip, where the oxygen comes out from, breaks. Another thing that caregivers watch out is the area that the patient goes to. Patients need to stay Lopez 4 away from areas that get dusty and windy. Patients need to stay away from those areas because of the opening they have that leads directly to the lungs and also the dust can make the patient have difficultly breathing.
What is a Ventilator? A ventilator is a machine that supports a patient 's breathing. Patients that need a ventilator are the ones aren 't able to breathe on their own, patients that retain to much carbon dioxide, patients that need oxygen into the lungs, etc. A ventilator is also used, for a short period of time, when doing a surgery to keep a normal breathing. Some patients get dependent on a ventilator and need it for a longer. Doctors try to wean the patient off but if the patient doesn 't improve then they would recommend getting the trach. Hospital and home ventilators work the same but are a little different. Home ventilators are portable and smaller than hospital ventilators. A few models of home ventilators are LTV950, HT50, and HT70. Ventilators have different kinds of setting that can be set to what the patient needs for example: they can be programmed to how fast the patients needs air, how much pressure is needed, how long the air should be given, etc. Also, ventilators have different kinds alarms for example: if the ventilator disconnects then it will begin to alarm to notify the caregiver. Another alarm that can occur is if the patient’s trach has a mucus plug and blocks the air from reaching the lungs. Ventilators have a couple filters and one of them is a bacteria filter. The other filter collects all the dust from getting to the patients lungs. The tracheostomy is important to a lot of people because it allows people to breath. This procedure has saved many lives of those patients that have needed a reach. Lopez 5
Now with the advancement in technology, it makes tracheostomy and ventilator patients lives a lot easier now. For example: ventilators are becoming more compact and makes it easier for patients to move around with it. They are also coming out digitally and touch screen where as before it was a big box with just a few settings. Now with a lot more setting, they can be set at to where patients live comfortably for as long as they need.
Lopez 6
Work Cited
"What Is a Tracheostomy?" What Is a Tracheostomy? Johns Hopkins Medicine, n.d. Web. 17 July 2013. .
"What Is a Ventilator?" - NHLBI, NIH. National Institutes of Health, n.d. Web. 17 July 2013. .
Dugdale, David C. "Using Oxygen at Home: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia." U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 17 July 2013. .
Alex Lopez
English 10
Mr. Glavin
6 June 2013 Lopez i
Outline
THESIS: The everyday living of a tracheostomy and ventilator patient consists of the care that is needed, the risks that are taken, and how it affects life.
I. What is a tracheostomy?
A. A tracheostomy is an opening of the windpipe done surgically, called a stoma.
B. A tube, known as a trach, is inserted through the stoma allowing the patient to breath from the trach.
C. These are some of the reason why the procedure is done to patients, which include a weakened diaphragm, paralyzed from the diaphragm or neck down, or people with lung cancer, etc.
D. The risks of doing this procedure …show more content…
are; bleeding, air trapped around the lung, or damage to the esophagus, etc.
II. Tracheostomy Care is needed for patients to have a healthy life.
A. Care for the stoma is important to prevent an infection by using the following: normal saline (sodium chloride), gauze, 2x2 split gauze, cotton-tipped applicators, and gloves.
B. Suctioning the trach with a catheter removes mucus from the lungs allowing patient to breath better
C. Changing the trach is something that done on patients with traches
III. Everyday Living of a Tracheostomy Patient Lopez ii
A. Preparing the emergency equipment is important before going out to places
B. The Heat Moisture Exchanger works just like a person’s nose
C. A concentrator provides the patient oxygen from the air around us directly to them
IV. What is a Ventilator?
A. How does a ventilator work?
B. Patients who need ventilators are the ones that can’t breathe on their own, need oxygen directly to their lungs, and that retain too much carbon dioxide
C. A few models of home ventilators are the LTV 950, HT50, and the HT70
Lopez 1
What is a Tracheostomy?
A tracheostomy is a procedure performed by otolaryngologist where an opening is done surgically in the windpipe (trachea) called a stoma. A tube, known as a trach or tracheostomy tube, is inserted into the stoma allowing the patient to breathe from the trach. The trach has inner tube called a cannula that leads directly to the lungs. The everyday living of a tracheostomy and ventilator patient consists of the case that is needed, the risks that are taken, and how it affects people 's lives.
The Tracheostomy
This procedure takes approximately 30 minutes to be done.
The risks before and after this procedure are having bleeding, air trapped around the lung (pneumothorax), or damage to the vocal cords, etc. A lot of bleeding can then create blood clots, which can be suctioned out through the trach. Air trapped around the lung, also known as pneumothorax, can be dangerous if it 's not treated on time. The air that is trapped around the lung causes the lung to collapse. A sharp chest pain is one of the symptoms that a patient feels when a pneumothorax occurs. A chest tube is surgically inserted, either at bedside or operating room, directly to the trapped air. Depending on how bad the pneumothorax is, the chest tube may or may not be connected to a machine where it suctions out the air that is trapped. Removing the air can take days or even weeks before the lung is fully inflated. During the procedure, there is a risk of the vocal cords of the patient to be damaged. There are patients whose vocal cords are fine after and are able to talk like normal. When patients have trouble talking, Speech Pathologist try a valve called a Passy-Muir Valve. The Passy-Muir Valve traps the air from coming out
through Lopez 2 the trach and lets it come out from the mouth, making it easier for patients to talk or be able to talk. Tracheostomy Care The stoma is cleaned about twice a day on a tracheostomy patient. The trach and mucus (secretions) can cause irritation to the stoma and give it a bad odor. The stoma is cleaned with normal saline (sodium chloride), gauze, cotton-tipped applicators and gloves. This can prevent from the patient getting an infection. After cleaning the stoma, split gauze is put around the trach to absorb the mucus that comes out from the stoma. Suctioning is another part to the trach care. A catheter that is connected to machine is inserted into the trach going down to the end of the trach or to lungs sucking out the mucus. This clears out the trach and lungs making it easier for the patients to breath. Some patients have the ability to cough up the secretions without being suctioned. Another tracheostomy care is changing the trach and cleaning it afterwards. Trach patients need their trach changed every two weeks to a month or as needed. Changing a trach doesn 't require a procedure to be done. Before a trach is changed, caregivers prepare the spare trach by adding some lubricating gel around the cannula so it 'll slide through the stoma smoothly. Caregivers make sure they have a respirator bag (ambu bag) near in case an emergency, the patient has to be given air manually. Depending on the situation and patient, once the trach has been taken out, it may have tried mucus in the trach causing the patient to have difficulty breathing. Trach cleaning kits come with tools to clean the trach after being changed. The kits come with a brush, pipe cleaners, gauze sponges,
Lopez 3 cotton-tipped applicators, and gloves. Some patients reuse their traches depending on which kind they have.
Everyday Living
Some patients have the ability to go out with a tracheostomy tube and some that don 't. Caregivers make sure they have all the needed equipment before going out to places. For example: suction machine, ambu bag, extra trach, gauze, trach ties, etc. In case of an emergency, caregivers are prepared with the needed supplies. When patients go out they use a Heat Moister Exchanger (HME), can also be called a nose. The HME works like a person 's nose. Patients don 't receive that warmth air that other people do because the air by passes the nose and mouth. When they don 't get any humidification, patient 's lungs dry up. To avoid this, they poor down a saline bullet (sodium chloride) to keep the lung moistened and use the HME. Patients that need oxygen, take an oxygen tank with them and sometimes a spare one, depending how long they will be out of home. When patients are on oxygen continuously at home, they use a machine called a concentrator. A concentrator is a machine that takes the oxygen from the air around us to give to the patient. There are portable and non-portable concentrators for patients. Patients with traches cannot be around people that smoke especially when patients have oxygen tanks or concentrators. Since the trach leads directly to the lungs, the smoke can affect the patient 's lungs. When oxygen tanks or concentrators are in use around smokers, they make everything more flammable. The fire can get hotter than just a normal fire. Oxygen tanks can explode if the tip, where the oxygen comes out from, breaks. Another thing that caregivers watch out is the area that the patient goes to. Patients need to stay Lopez 4 away from areas that get dusty and windy. Patients need to stay away from those areas because of the opening they have that leads directly to the lungs and also the dust can make the patient have difficultly breathing.
What is a Ventilator? A ventilator is a machine that supports a patient 's breathing. Patients that need a ventilator are the ones aren 't able to breathe on their own, patients that retain to much carbon dioxide, patients that need oxygen into the lungs, etc. A ventilator is also used, for a short period of time, when doing a surgery to keep a normal breathing. Some patients get dependent on a ventilator and need it for a longer. Doctors try to wean the patient off but if the patient doesn 't improve then they would recommend getting the trach. Hospital and home ventilators work the same but are a little different. Home ventilators are portable and smaller than hospital ventilators. A few models of home ventilators are LTV950, HT50, and HT70. Ventilators have different kinds of setting that can be set to what the patient needs for example: they can be programmed to how fast the patients needs air, how much pressure is needed, how long the air should be given, etc. Also, ventilators have different kinds alarms for example: if the ventilator disconnects then it will begin to alarm to notify the caregiver. Another alarm that can occur is if the patient’s trach has a mucus plug and blocks the air from reaching the lungs. Ventilators have a couple filters and one of them is a bacteria filter. The other filter collects all the dust from getting to the patients lungs. The tracheostomy is important to a lot of people because it allows people to breath. This procedure has saved many lives of those patients that have needed a reach. Lopez 5
Now with the advancement in technology, it makes tracheostomy and ventilator patients lives a lot easier now. For example: ventilators are becoming more compact and makes it easier for patients to move around with it. They are also coming out digitally and touch screen where as before it was a big box with just a few settings. Now with a lot more setting, they can be set at to where patients live comfortably for as long as they need.
Lopez 6
Work Cited
"What Is a Tracheostomy?" What Is a Tracheostomy? Johns Hopkins Medicine, n.d. Web. 17 July 2013. .
"What Is a Ventilator?" - NHLBI, NIH. National Institutes of Health, n.d. Web. 17 July 2013. .
Dugdale, David C. "Using Oxygen at Home: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia." U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 17 July 2013. .