Tracheotomy is a common procedure in intensive care units, and nurses must provide proper care to tracheostomy patients to prevent complications. One of the most important considerations is effective mobilization of secretions, and a suction catheter is the most important tool for that purpose. Each bedside should be equipped with a functional suctioning system, an oxygen source, a manual resuscitation bag, and a complete tracheostomy kit, which should accompany patients wherever they go in the hospital. Complications include infection, tracheomalacia, skin breakdown, and tracheoesophageal fistula. Tracheostomy emergencies include hemorrhage, tube dislodgement and loss of airway, and tube obstruction; such emergencies are managed more effectively when all necessary supplies are readily available at the bedside. This article describes how to provide proper care in the intensive care unit, strategies for preventing complications, and management of tracheostomy emergencies.

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Objectives: To report experience with a global multidisciplinary tracheostomy e-learning initiative Methods: An international multidisciplinary panel of experts convened to build a virtual learning community for tracheostomy care, comprising a web-based platform, five distance learning (interactive webinar) sessions, and professional discourse over 12 months. Structured pre- and post-webinar surveys were disseminated to global participants including otolaryngologists, intensivists, nurses, allied health professionals, and patients/caregivers. Data were collected on audio-visual fidelity, demographics, and pre- and post-tutorial assessments regarding experience and skill acquisition. Participants reported confidence levels for NICU, pediatric, adult, and family care, as well as technical skills, communication, learning, assessment, and subdomains. Results: Participants from 197 institutions in 22 countries engaged in the virtual education platform, including otolaryngologists, speech pathologists, respiratory therapists, specialist nurses, patients, and caregivers. Significant improvements were reported in communication ( P < .0001), clinical assessments ( P < .0001), and clinical governance ( P < .0001), with positive impact on pediatric decannulation ( P = .0008), adult decannulation ( P = .04), and quality improvement ( P < .0001). Respondents reported enhanced readiness to integrate knowledge into practice. Barriers included time zones, internet bandwidth, and perceived difficulty of direct clinical translation of highly technical skills. Participants rated the implementation highly in terms of length, ability for discussion, satisfaction, applicability to professional practice, and expertise of discussants (median scores: 4, 4, 4, 4 and 5 out of 5). Conclusions: Virtual learning has dominated the education landscape during COVID-19 pandemic, but few data are available on its effectiveness. This study demonstrated feasibility of virtual learning for disseminating best practices in tracheostomy, engaging a diverse, multidisciplinary audience. Learning of complex technical skills proved a hurdle, however, suggesting need for hands-on experience for technical mastery. While interactive videoconferencing via webinar affords an engaging and scalable strategy for sharing knowledge, further investigation is needed on clinical outcomes to define effective strategies for experiential online learning and virtual in-service simulations.