If you have a tracheostomy tube
Your tracheostomy (trach) tube has been chosen to fit well and work right for you. You’ll learn how to keep it clean and clear. Often, a trach tube is needed for only a short time. Your surgeon will tell you how long to use the tube. If you don’t need a new airway after surgery, the hole in the front of your throat will close on its own after the trach tube has been removed. You will have a dressing over the site while it heals. In some cases, surgery is needed to close the hole.
If you have a stoma
Your larynx may have been removed during surgery. If so, you’ll continue to breathe through the hole in your throat. This hole is called a stoma. It's also called a permanent tracheostomy. Tell those who care for you that this is your only airway. In a medical emergency, a breathing tube can't be put in through your nose or mouth. You will be shown how to care for your stoma. Support groups can help you get used to having a new airway. And you can return to work, family life, and many of the activities you did before surgery.
You will need follow-up visits for your tracheostomy and its care.
When to contact your doctor
Contact your doctor right away if you have:
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A red or painful stoma.
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A small amount of bleeding, that stops promptly, from the tube or stoma.
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Yellow, smelly, bloody, or thick mucus around or inside your stoma.
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Pain while cleaning your airway.
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A persistent cough.
Call 911
Call
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Trouble breathing or wheezing
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Coughing up blood
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Large amount of bleeding, or persistent bleeding, from the tracheostomy site
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Swelling around the trach tube or stoma
Related Articles
Your Tracheostomy Tube: Answers to Common Questions
With a tracheostomy, your healthcare provider makes a small hole (stoma) in your windpipe (trachea) through your neck. A tracheostomy tube (trach tube) is then placed into the stoma. Air goes into and out of your lungs through the tube. Here are answers to some common questions that people often ask about tracheostomy.
Discharge Instructions: Caring for Your Tracheostomy Tube and Stoma
You have had surgery to create an opening through your neck and into your trachea (windpipe). A tube (cannula) was inserted into the opening so you can breathe. You need to take care of your tracheostomy ("trach") tube, the opening in your neck (stoma), and the skin around the stoma once you leave the hospital. Your care team will teach you how to do this. The guidelines below will also help.
Tracheostomy Care
Follow these instructions to help care for and clean your tracheostomy.
Tracheostomy Tube Removal (Decannulation) and Stoma Care
When your doctor is certain that you no longer need a tracheostomy (trach) tube to help you breathe, they will remove the tube from your neck and windpipe (trachea). This procedure is called decannulation.
