What are some nursing considerations when suctioning a patient?

6 Precautions to Take When Using the Suctioning Procedure in…

  • Conduct a Risk Assessment.
  • Prepare the Patient.
  • Do Not Suction Too Long.
  • Avoid Forcing the Catheter.
  • Monitor for Complications.
  • Choose the Right Equipment.

When suctioning a tracheostomy tube What should the nurse do?

Tips on Tracheostomy Suctioning

  1. Always wear gloves when suctioning so that germs and infections are not transferred.
  2. Never suction for lengths of time longer than 5 or 10 seconds.
  3. Use saline solution in the trach to loosen secretions and make the suction process easier.

Why is it not recommended to routinely instill NS prior to suctioning?

Most practice guidelines no longer recommend NSI into an artificial airway due to lack of evidence that it helps to maintain airway patency, and it is suggested that routine instillation be discontinued altogether due to adverse effects (19).

What indicates that a patient with a tracheostomy needs suctioning?

Tracheal suctioning is indicated with noisy respirations, decreased O2 sats, anxiousness, restlessness, increased respirations or work of breathing, change in skin colour, or wheezing or gurgling sounds. These are signs and symptoms of respiratory distress, and the patient should be suctioned immediately.

Should normal saline be instilled before suctioning?

Although normal saline instillation before suctioning is a common clinical practice, the research literature does not demonstrate any physiologic benefit to this procedure. Moreover, normal saline instillation may decrease oxygen saturation values (via pulse oximetry) after suctioning.

What are the evidence based guidelines for tracheostomy care?

This article describes evidence-based guidelines for tracheostomy care, focusing on open and closed suctioning and site care. A trach tube may have a single or double lumen; it may be cuffed or uncuffed, fenestrated (allowing speech) or unfenestrated. Each variation requires specific management.

What should the suction pressure be for a tracheostomy?

Experts recommend using suction pressure of up to 120 mm Hg for open-system suctioning and up to 160 mm Hg for closed-system suctioning. For each session, limit suctioning to a maximum of three catheter passes. During catheter extraction, suctioning can last up to 10 seconds; allow 20 to 30 seconds between passes.

Is it safe for nurses to use endotracheal suctions?

Although scientific evidence for the safe and efficient accomplishment of endotracheal suctions are available, many of these recommendations have not been observed in nurses’ clinical practice, perhaps due to poor knowledge about this procedure [ 2, 3 ].

When to use ETS suction in intensive care?

However, their review agrees on American Association for Respiratory Care Practice Guidelines that only when secretions are present, ETS suctioning can be performed, indicating that knowledge and skills of patient assessment is a pre-requisite.