Weaning pressure or volume ventilator support on a COVID-19 Ward
The next stage of the ventilator tracheostomy weaning process is to reduce the support from the ventilator that the patient requires, towards CPAP therapy, while maintaining adequate oxygenation.
There are a number of strategies for ventilator weaning which should be determined locally and documented in a weaning plan. The patient should be monitored throughout for sign of deterioration, and weaning efforts should be stopped if the patient shows any of the following:
- Clinical deterioration
- Oxygen desaturation
- Tachypnoea
- Tachycardia
- New cardiac dysrhythmia
- Fever
- Exhaustion
For more information about tracheostomy management, check out the All-Wales TRACHES checklist (linked below) which provides the simple things you need to do to look after a patient with a tracheostomy.
Weaning pressure or volume ventilator support on a COVID-19 Ward
The next stage of the ventilator tracheostomy weaning process is to reduce the support from the ventilator that the patient requires, towards CPAP therapy, while maintaining adequate oxygenation.
There are a number of strategies for ventilator weaning which should be determined locally and documented in a weaning plan. The patient should be monitored throughout for sign of deterioration, and weaning efforts should be stopped if the patient shows any of the following:
- Clinical deterioration
- Oxygen desaturation
- Tachypnoea
- Tachycardia
- New cardiac dysrhythmia
- Fever
- Exhaustion
For more information about tracheostomy management, check out the All-Wales TRACHES checklist (linked below) which provides the simple things you need to do to look after a patient with a tracheostomy.
Resources
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All Wales Pathway for Weaning COVID-19 patients with Tracheostomies
The management of tracheostomised patients with COVID-19, their transfer from ITU to a COVID-19 ward, their weaning from invasive ventilation and eventual decannulation of the tracheostomy should follow a structured approach.
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All-Wales TRACHES Checklist – Education package
This website was created to support teams to manage a patient with a tracheostomy, and contains a whole series of videos and resources on each step of the TRACHES acronym.
