Postoperative Care
Immediate postoperative priorities of care for a patient with a new tracheostomy include ensuring that the tracheostomy tube is securely in place and is patent. Routine care, as well as prompt management of postoperative complications, can be facilitated by ensuring that proper equipment and supplies are quickly available. Table 1 lists the contents of a tracheostomy kit that should be present at the patient’s bedside and, per recommendations, should accompany the patient whenever he or she is away from the ICU.2,15,16
View this table:
• In this window
• In a new window