Which guideline is recommended for determining suction catheter?
Show
In This Section The upper airway warms, cleans and moistens the air we breathe. The trach tube bypasses these mechanisms, so that the air moving through the tube is cooler, dryer and not as clean. In response to these changes, the body produces more mucus. Suctioning clears mucus from the tracheostomy tube and is essential for proper breathing. Also, secretions left in the tube could become contaminated and a chest infection could develop. Avoid suctioning too frequently as this could lead to more secretion buildup. Removing mucus from trach tube without suctioning
When to suctionSuctioning is important to prevent a mucus plug from blocking the tube and stopping the patient's breathing. Suctioning should be considered
The secretions should be white or clear. If they start to change color, (e.g. yellow, brown or green) this may be a sign of infection. If the changed color persists for more than three days or if it is difficult to keep the tracheostomy tube intact, call your surgeon's office. If there is blood in the secretions (it may look more pink than red), you should initially increase humidity and suction more gently. A Swedish or artificial nose (HME), which is a cap that can be attached to the tracheostomy tube, may help to maintain humidity. The cap contains a filter to prevent particles from entering the airway and maintains the patient's own humidity. Putting the patient in the bathroom with the door closed and shower on will increase the humidity immediately. If the patient coughs up or has bright red blood mucus suctioned, or if the patient develops a fever, call your surgeon's office immediately. How to suctionEquipment
Whether you're crossing the country or the globe, we make it easy to access world-class care at Johns Hopkins. Which of the following is a recommended guideline for determining suction catheter depth when suctioning an endotracheal tube?Suction should only be to the tip of the ETT, and should never exceed more than 0.5cm beyond the tip of the ETT, to prevent mucosal irritation and injury.
How do you determine what size suction catheter to use?The current American Association for Respiratory Care clinical practice guidelines recommend choosing suction catheter size based on the external diameter of the suction catheter and the internal diameter of the endotracheal tube: a ratio of < 50% is recommended, to prevent suctioning-related complications, including ...
How do you measure suction catheter for ET tube?One method to calculate the French (Fr) suction catheter size is: Fr = (ETT size [mm] – 1) x 2, which is relatively accurate. A suction catheter with an outer diameter that occludes less than 40% of the ETT internal diameter may be insufficient to clear secretions, necessitating the use of multiple passes.
How do you evaluate effectiveness of suctioning?After suctioning the patient, discard the used supplies, wash your hands, and assess the patient's vital signs and overall appearance (skin color, presence or absence of restlessness). Evaluate the effectiveness of suctioning by assessing breath sounds and checking the pulse oximeter.
|