Question

A patient with a closed head injury has had a cuffed tracheostomy tube in place for several weeks. The physician wishes to decannulate the patient but maintain the patency of the stoma for secretion removal. Which of the following devices would facilitate this request?

1) fenestrated trach tube
2) transtracheal catheter
3) laryngectomy tube
4) tracheostomy button

Answer 1

A tracheostomy button is the correct device to maintain the stoma's patency for secretion removal after decannulation in a patient.

Step-by-step explanation:

The device that would facilitate the physician's request to decannulate a patient while maintaining the patency of the stoma for secretion removal is a tracheostomy button. A tracheostomy button is a short cannula that keeps the stoma open after decannulation. It allows the patient to breathe and provides access to the trachea for suctioning secretions, but does not provide long-term ventilatory support as the other tracheostomy tubes do. It is an ideal option when a patient no longer requires the full support of a tracheostomy tube but still needs an open airway for secretion management.