Think back over the previous slides that described the key steps in assessing and managing a tracheostomy emergency. Can you put them together?

Imagine a patient who develops a tracheostomy red flag in your place of work. Think about how you would use what you have learned to manage the situation.

Recap:

Many tracheostomy problems are effectively managed by addressing relatively simple principles of assessing the patient of the airway(s), removing potential obstructions (speaking valves, caps or inner cannulae), performing suction, deflating a cuff (if present) to potentially buy time and then if the tube is blocked or displaced, removing it.

The vast majority of airways can then me managed just like any other by covering the stoma and focussing oxygenation efforts on the face. If this doesn’t work, or the bedhead sign, passport or notes tell you to focus on the neck, simple methods to oxygenate can stabilise the patient prior to definitive airway management (re-insertion of a tube via the nose/mouth or stoma).

Fig 1 is a video showing a team managing a patient with a blocked tracheostomy tube.