When the Trach Falls Out: Tracheostomy Care, Suctioning & NCLEX Airway Safety

👉 Watch the video https://youtu.be/ZhmvaQLpBMI Key topics covered: Tracheostomy care, suctioning, airway safety, cuffed versus cuffless trachs, one-finger trach tie rule, aspiration precautions, decannulation emergency response, mature versus fresh stoma, spare trach tubes, Ambu bag readiness, pulmonary hygiene, atelectasis prevention, stool softeners, constipation risk, Passy-Muir speaking valve, and NCLEX airway prioritization. High-Yield Nursing Pearls Airway beats everything. Cleaning the stoma matters, but losing the airway is what kills the patient fastest. A cuffed trach does not prevent aspiration. Aspiration happens when material passes the vocal cords; the cuff sits below that level. Do not suction on a schedule. Suction based on assessment cues like visible secretions, coarse rhonchi, desaturation, or high peak airway pressures. Preoxygenate before suctioning. Suction removes oxygen along with secretions, so the patient can desaturate quickly. Fresh trach emergency rules are different. If the stoma is less than 7 days old, blindly forcing the tube back in can create a false passage. Trach patients need bowel teaching. They may struggle to bear down because they cannot create the same Valsalva pressure through a normal closed airway system. Want to reach out? Send an email to BrookeWallaceRN@gmail.com or visit SuperNurse.aiThe content presented in The Super Nurse Podcast is for educational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. The host and creators are not responsible for any clinical decisions made based on this content. Always adhere to your institution’s policies and consult appropriate healthcare professionals when making patient care decisions.