How come my daughter,15 y/o still had laboured breathing and lots of phlegms after tracheotomy?

Question

Before she was intubated and trach, she seldom had laboured breathing. Due to pneumonia she was intubated and later trach. Isn't she not going back to her condition before trach?

Answer 1

In a word ... no ... at least not unless or until they remove it.

You should have been given instructions on this because when she goes home you will need to know how to care for her. She will require suctioning regularly and will need the cannula cleaned and replaced. You need to know what things to watch for and report to the physician. the following page gives a bit of info you may find helpful.

http://calder.med.miami.edu/pointis/traccare.html

Again this is all only while the trach is in place, if they remove it then you can disregard.

Take care.

Answer 2

when someone is trached the plegm needs to be suctioned out and sometimes the cough response is slowed down or stopped because this isn't our normal way to breathe, but after this type of trauma our bodies take time to heal and she should be able to recover unless there are other issues at hand. Check with her pulmonologist or other doctors they can tell you an estimate time of recovery for what she has been through. My son went through the intubation last year {same age} but no trach and it still took a month or so to recover completley.Good Luck

Answer 3

If she still has the trach it is normal for them to have to be suctioned. The normal route for clearing the throat has been altered.

If she has had the trach closed there may be scar tissue that is impeding her airway. The reduced air flow into her lungs will cause the phlegm build up. The air isn't there to dry out the extra mucous in the lungs.....so she has to expel it through coughing.

You may want to have them scope her throat (endoscopy) to see if there is something they can do to clear her airway.

Answer 4

She is still having respiratory infection.If she receives apropriate antibiotics she will recover completely.