Still using NSS for suctioning?

[dawngloves, BSN, RN]

Is anyone still doing this? I know I stopped doing this with adults long ago. It made no difference to me one way or the other.

Last month our peds told us to stop, said it caused inflammation. I didn't do it that much anyway, but most of the nurses and the RTs still are putting NSS down the ETT, even when I tell them not to they insist that the secretions are too think and the baby needs it!

How about when you are doing nares? I am still putting NSS there to loosen the boogs!

[NicuGal, MSN, RN]

We only use it for the big chronic kids with big thick secretions and kids that are prone to plug off the OET. We also use it with the larger size inline suction caths to lube the tube a bit for easier insertion, but that is only a drop or two.

For nasal, we only use it for thick secretions, but not just for a stuffy nose...it makes it worse it seems!

[drmehlhorn]

At the SCN where I work, we use NS to suction just about everyone with CPAP, sometimes with NC. Depends on the secretions. The poor chronic kids seem to really need it to loosen all of the stuff up. I try not to use it unless I'm actually suctioning the tubes if I can help it.

I just think of how horrible it is when you laugh and reflux stuff up your nose...try to spare them.

[prmenrs, RN]

For babies w/nasal cannulae or nasal CPAP, NSS is usually necessary for suctioning the nares, which can get blocked up w/secretions. There are special "olive-tipped" devices to use so that the suctioning itself doesn't cause swelling.

What we're talking about here is suctioning ETTubes w/NSS, which has fallen (finally) from practice as research is proving it to be not useful.