Nurses Important Part of Interdisciplinary Team for Tracheostomy Patients

Critical care nurses are essential in helping patients with tracheostomies regain their ability to speak, according to an article in the December issue of Critical Care Nurse.

The article, "Restoring Speech to Tracheostomy Patients," notes that critical care nurses are an important part of an interdisciplinary team that includes respiratory therapists, speech pathologists, advanced practice nurses and physicians.

There are several determining factors in patients being able to speak after a tracheostomy; including patients having an adequate supply of air reach the vocal cords and the type or size of the tracheostomy tube itself, Advance Healthcare Network for Nurses reports.

Nursing interventions for tracheostomy patients can also vary, depending on if the patient is spontaneously breathing, being treated with intermittent mechanical ventilation, or is fully ventilator dependent, and nurses need to be aware of all the options available, according to the researchers.

The Advanced Healthcare Network for Nurses article is available here.
The Critical Care Nurse abstract is available here.