Evaluation of Post- Tracheostomy Care Status in Hospitals of Rasht

Tracheostomy is one of the most common surgical procedures performed on the patients with airway obstruction. The outcome and respective complications depend on postoperative orders and care. The complications are very important, common, but preventable. The aim of this study was to evaluate post- tracheostomy care status in Rasht hospitals in 2010 and 2011. This descriptive study was conducted on 96 patients who have undergone tracheostomy in Rasht educational hospitals in 2010-11. Initially, the data consisting of demographic characteristics, tracheostomy tube selection and surgical procedures, postoperative orders and performed orders by nurses (on the bases of observations of researcher) were collected by a questionnaire. Then, they were analyzed by frequency tests on SPSS 17 software. From 96 patients, 77 patients were male (80.2%) and the rest were female (9.8%), and the average age of men was 53.60+ 18.68 and for women 39.50 + 17.77 years. The most common indication of tracheostomy was prolonged intubation (58.9%). Also, 7 cases (7.3%) had complicated tracheostomy. In 78 adult patients, tube was not of adequate standard size (in men: 9 mm and women: 7.5-8 mm), but it was standard in children (6.3% from overall patients). Administration of wet oxygen, antibiotics and using cuffed tubes were standard in all cases, usage of cold steam (83.3%), adequate pressure of cuff (55.20%), hyperventilation before suctioning, (49%) tube size of tracheostomy (15.8%), change of dressing (47.91%) and frequency deflection of tube cuffs (44.78%) were not standard. These results demonstrate that post tracheostomy care in educational hospitals in Rasht was not performed on standard bases, and serious attention on the part of respective authorities is needed.