Tracheostomy

Many a times there are patients who have obstruction in breathing due to some problem in the windpipe. Tracheostomy as a treatment dates itself to the 1980's. A Tracheostomy is a surgical procedure in which there is an incision made into the windpipe of a patient to open up the person's breathing. The reason that this procedure is administered is to allow oxygen to enter freely, easily and in this case safely to the lungs.

The surgeon initially identifies the trachea. Then a hole is made in the lower part of the neck. A tube and a valve are then inserted into the part where the incision has been done. This tube is called the "trach tube". The entire procedure is done by a surgeon under general anesthesia. The trach tube that is inserted into the opening in the neck helps in removing the obstruction in the airway.

This trach tube should be cleaned at regular intervals so as to avoid any clogs of mucus inside it. While performing Tracheostomy, a patient is monitored closely. A pulse oximeter and an EKG are constantly used to monitor the patient's oxygen level as well as brain waves.

This procedure is done to avoid difficulty in breathing in emergency situations or for throat cancer patients or as a last resort to treat sleep apnea. A patient must be extremely unhealthy and unamenable to other treatments to resort to this procedure.

Why is Tracheostomy needed?

A Tracheostomy can be done on patients because of the following reasons.

1. To remove an obstruction in the windpipe of the patient especially the upper respiratory tract.
2. To clean and remove any kind of mucus or secretions from the airway
3. Tracheostomy helps in proper breathing, and thereby helps the lungs to receive more oxygen.

Risks of Tracheostomy

Like all other surgeries which involve potential complications and possible injury from both known and unforeseen causes, Tracheostomy too has its own complications.

Complications of Tracheostomy are:

1. Continuous obstruction in the airway
2. Bleeding in the passage area
3. Damage to the voice box.
4. Severe infection
5. If any patient has the problem of air trapped in the chest area
6. If the air tube is found to be eroded
7. Sometimes a patient may need a permanent tube to be inserted into the windpipe for their lifetime. In such cases the Tracheostomy surgery would need to be done again.
8. If a patient finds difficulty in swallowing their food

A patient should seek immediate attention of the physician if they find trouble in breathing after coughing or suctioning, if the stoma looks red or swollen or pus oozes out and also if a patient runs high temperature. A person should also seek help if they finds difficulty in breathing after having had a Tracheostomy.