When to clean and replace tracheostomy supplies

At the end of this chapter, you will be able to: 

• review cleaning and maintenance of your child's tracheostomy equipment and supplies.

This page contains general recommendations for cleaning and replacing tracheostomy supplies. Your child’s health-care team may suggest a different routine or timeline for replacement depending on the practices at their hospital or your child’s specific needs.

How often should I clean and/or replace my child's supplies?

On this page, you will find guidelines for cleaning and replacing your child's:

• tracheostomy equipment and supplies
• suction equipment and supplies
• manual resuscitation and equipment and supplies
• tubing
• nebulizers
• oxygen interfaces
• machines and filters
• other supplies

*Suction catheters: Standard of practice in hospital due to infection control policies is to discard suction catheters after one use; however, recognizing the home environment differs and financial considerations, many families have opted to reuse suction catheters. In this scenario we suggest at minimum, to rinse after each suction and only using them for one hour.
**Suction tips: Practice will vary from single session use to reusing it up to a week. Catheters are preferred but if you are using a tip inside the tracheostomy tube, be aware that due to infection control guidelines, these should be discarded after each suction session. Oral and nasal suction tips can be rinsed and used for up to one week.