The nurse must suction a child with a tracheostomy. What is the appropriate technique?
A) Encourage the child to cough to raise the secretions before suctioning.
B) Select a catheter with diameter three-fourths as large as the diameter of the tracheostomy tube.
C) Ensure each pass of the suction catheter should take no longer than 5 seconds.
D) Allow the child to rest after every five times the suction catheter is passed.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Suctioning should require no longer than 5 seconds per pass. Otherwise, the airway may be occluded for too long. If the child is able to cough up secretions, suctioning may not be indicated. The catheter should have a diameter one-half the size of the tracheostomy tube. If it is too large, it might block the child's airway. The child is allowed to rest for 30 to 60 seconds after each aspiration to allow oxygen tension to return to normal. Then the process is repeated until the trachea is clear.

The Nurse Must Suction a Child with a Tracheostomy