The effects of tracheostomy in 27 patients with severe respiratory difficulty are described in terms of arterial blood gas values and clinical observations. Postoperatively, mouth breathing was compared with tracheostomy breathing.
Obstruction of the lower respiratory tract from accumulated secretions leads to hypoventilation, ineffective coughing, carbon dioxide retention, anoxia and coma. In such cases, tracheostomy may be life‐saving because it provides a reliable pathway: a) for suctioning the secretions (which may be unusually abundant in emphysema with bronchitis), and b) for the administration of artificial respiration.
An important factor in the outcome of tracheostomy is meticulous postoperative care. Attention to such things as proper tube alignment and proper suctioning techniques goes a long way toward preventing possible mucosal damage and infection. Tracheostomy provides therapeutic relief even to patients who are gravely ill (narcosis, coma) with emphysema and bronchitis.
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