Paediatric tracheostomy tubes are of course much smaller than adult tubes (Fig 1). This means that their internal diameter is much narrower. Adding an inner cannula is often done to allow easy cleaning of the inside of the tracheostomy tube but doing this in a small tube significantly reduces the already small internal diameter.

For this reason, small paediatric and neonatal tracheostomy tubes do not have inner cannulae.

Because the trachea in a child is narrow, tracheostomy tubes don’t usually need a cuff. Cuffed versions are available for certain situations.

Different sizes are available for different ages.

Designs include:

• Standard (NEO, PED, PDL)
• Adjustable flange
• Flexible

Fig 2 is a video showing different types of paediatric tracheostomy tubes.