One of my co-workers told me she was told not to replace a trach if a pt. de-cannulates herself. Instead, we are to call 911, and in the meantime, she said, "we are supposed to place "this" (she showed me an obturator in a plastic bag) into her stoma."
HUH???? I told her that didn't seem right to me, but she said "well, management says we need to protect the airway"
I don't understand how placing an obturator into a stoma will protect it. Am I being obtuse or are my managers way off here?
At my part time job, I do homecare for a trach pt. and had to go through additional training to work with him. Never, ever we were taught to do this, it was always an emergency trach change--period.