Nursing care of the patient with a tracheostomy
Michaela Hooper Ward Manager, Frimley Park Hospital NHS Trust, Surrey
Patients who require a tracheostomy have particular needs associated with their care to ensure their safety and well-being. In this article, the author describes the reasons why a patient might have a tracheostomy and provides a detailed account of the anatomy, care and complications associated with it
A tracheostomy is a surgical opening in the anterior wall of the trachea to facilitate ventilation (Allan 1987). There are five main reasons for performing a tracheostomy (Allan 1987, Colman 1992, Dhillon and East 1994,Gibson 1983):
Nursing Standard.
10, 34, 40-43.
doi: 10.7748/ns.10.34.40.s46
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