Tracheostomy Tube or Stoma: Your New Airway

Your tracheostomy (trach) tube has been chosen to fit well and work right for you. You’ll learn how to keep it clean and clear. Often, a trach tube is needed for only a short time. Your surgeon will tell you how long to use the tube. If you don’t need a new airway after surgery, the hole in the front of your throat will close on its own after the trach tube has been removed. You will have a dressing over the site while it heals. In some cases, surgery is needed to close the hole.

If your larynx was removed during surgery, you’ll continue to breathe through the hole in your throat. This hole is called a stoma or permanent tracheostomy. It's important that you and those who care for you know that this is your only airway. In a medical emergency, healthcare providers won't be able to put in a breathing tube through your nose or mouth. You’ll be shown how to care for your stoma. Support groups can help you adjust to having a new airway. And you can return to work, family life, and many of the activities you enjoyed before surgery.

You will need follow-up visits for your tracheostomy and its care.

Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these problems:

• A red or painful stoma

• Small amount of bleeding, that stops promptly, from the tube or stoma

• Yellow, smelly, bloody, or thick mucus around or inside your stoma

• Pain while cleaning your airway

• Persistent cough

Call 911 if any of the following occur:

• Trouble breathing or wheezing
• Coughing up blood
• Large amount of bleeding, or persistent bleeding, from the tracheostomy site
• Swelling around the trach tube or stoma