Prevention And Management In Intermittent Aspirations Of Subglottic Secretions

By Joseph Nelson


Everyone is responsible for ensuring that their health is not compromised. However, no one can go through life without suffering from one medical condition or the other. In such a case, the best health care should be accorded. ICU Patients are at risk of intermittent aspirations of subglottic secretions.

Patients who are not able to breathe on their own will have to be hooked to a ventilator. It is usually done in the ICU. The endotracheal tube which is used to keep the airway open will attract accumulation of secretions. If there are aspirations into the lower respiratory system then they might lead to serious infections.

Use of the machines intermittently is one way of reducing the risk of aspirating the secretions. There are other alternatives but they are only possible if there are adequate equipment and competent staff in the hospital. Without this then it will be very difficult to implement the strategies. The doctors have the final say when it comes to the method to use.

Before you take your loved ones to the hospital, check the unit out to ensure that it is clean. Remember that the risk of infection will be heightened in dirty places. Some people have to spend weeks and even months in the unit and it will be unfortunate if they are not receiving the best care. Succumbing to death will be more likely. You cannot gamble about the health of a person you care about deeply.

The procedures which have to be completed in ensuring that the secretions do not end up being aspirated are not cheap. When you have to pay out of the pocket then it will be frustrating. However, you will not have to worry about the cost when you have medical insurance. People who do not take this seriously come to understand its importance when they are in a dilemma.

You can decide who gets to attend to your patient. However you will not do well in handpicking them when you know nothing about this. That is why you need to vet them thoroughly to ensure that they can offer the best services. People who have been in the limelight for the wrong reasons should be avoided. In addition, those who are facing disciplinary actions should be shunned too.

It is your duty to be involved actively in the care process to ensure that your loved ones get the best care possible. When you believe all that the doctors and other professionals in the health sector tell you without conducting further research to confirm that it is true then you will not be doing justice to the sick person. When you have the facts at hand then you will be able to note when some items are left out.

You need to be involved without making it hard for the people attending to your loved one to do their job. If you keep meddling when they are trying to help then they will lose morale to care for the sick person. At the very worst, they can even turn you away. Learn how to stay out of the way while still remaining relevant. It will not be good for anyone when you interfering too much.




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