Should ALL patients have bedside suction set up and in working order?

[FinallyRNStatus, BSN]

This one has always confused me, even though it is a fundamental topic. One of my nursing instructors gave a lecture on ensuring bedside suction is always set up during your initial visit and safety inspection of patients' rooms. In this lecture I could have sworn she meant ALL PATIENTS should have working bedside suction. However suction is rarely ever correctly set up and working in most patient rooms I visit on the med-surg floor. Many of the floor nurses do not check to see if it is set up and working until they need it.

I can't find any articles or educational resources supporting that all patients should have suction set up. Obviously suction should be set up and working for patients with a trach, seizure precautions, NG tubes ect.

Please give me your feedback. Why or why not suction should be set up at bedside for all patients? If you have any links that discuss your rational please post them too. Thanks for clarifying.

[akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P]

In the ivory tower of nursing school, every in-patient should have their suction "system" ready to go, where all you must do is turn on the suction and you're, well, suctioning... In the real world, it may just simply suffice that all the "bits" are there and the suction canister is hooked up to the wall suction and all you must do is open and connect the tubing to the canister and turn it on. The second method is only slightly slower if you keep calm and just do it.

Personally, I prefer to have the tubing and Yankauer catheter assembled and connected to the suction canister.

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

Then you have the hospitals which do not have wall suction, like mine. We set up suction machines only with those patients that might need it...trachs, tube feeds, seizure precautions, aspiration precautions. There are not enough machines in the hospital for every inpatient to have one.

[brownbook]

During codes or respiratory distress suctioning the oral airway can save a life. However it would not be cost effective (I know we're only talking about saving someone's life here) to install wall suctioning or have a portable suction machine at every bedside.

Where I work the crash cart has a suction machine on it (even though every bedside has wall suctioning.)

If every patient's bedside does have wall suctioning I can't see you would not have the tubing, canisters, etc., all connected, ready to go?

[loriangel14, RN]

Where i work every bed has it set up and ready to go. It's one of our regular checks.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

Then you have the hospitals which do not have wall suction, like mine. We set up suction machines only with those patients that might need it...trachs, tube feeds, seizure precautions, aspiration precautions. There are not enough machines in the hospital for every inpatient to have one.

I am fascinated that you do not have wall suction. You clearly do work 'nowhere'!

[firstinfamily, RN]

In the acute setting I always wanted suction equipment readily available, usually we would have all the equipment at the ready but not hooked up as once the system was opened it was only good for 72 hours. So, had the cannister, tubing, yanker at the ready but not connected. In sub-acute we did not have wall suction, so had a "gomco" suction machine at the bedside for seizure, pts with copious oral secretions, suction machine also on our code cart for use during an emergency. I really missed having wall suction and felt so very fortunate in the acute care setting to have such easy access. Personally, I like it ready because we all know an emergency can happen at any time and it is just one more thing to have that can make a difference in an emergency setting.

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

I am fascinated that you do not have wall suction. You clearly do work 'nowhere'!

Not really nowhere, just a very old building.

[FinallyRNStatus, BSN]

Thank you so much for all your input. You have put my mind at ease to know it is not always a necessary or sometimes even an option to have bedside suction for every patient. Also interesting to know that some places the suction is only good for 72hr.

I have yet to experience a patient having an emergent need to be suctioned. For example, if someone has aspiration precautions how might oral suction be used to save their life? I'm trying to picture someone choking on vomit or secretions and using suction to clear the airway. Would a Yankauer catheter suffice to accomplish that?

Sometimes being such a visual learner is such a curse! Thank God for youtube videos. This is my first time to posting a question on allnurses, and I'm loving the fast responses. WHY didn't I utilize this site to clarify questions in the last two years of nursing school?

[FinallyRNStatus, BSN]

During codes or respiratory distress suctioning the oral airway can save a life. However it would not be cost effective (I know we're only talking about saving someone's life here) to install wall suctioning or have a portable suction machine at every bedside.

Where I work the crash cart has a suction machine on it (even though every bedside has wall suctioning.)

Good point. Having suction at every bedside isn't exactly the most cost efficient option. Our hospital has a suction machine on the code cart too.

[BSNbeauty, BSN, RN]

All patients should have suction set up. I will never forget the day when I was taking care of a man on a med surg unit in nursing school. He was a "walkie talkie" who was progressing well. During rounds I noticed that he didnt have sucntion set up. No biggie, I just went to the utility room and grabbed a yanker and cannister. When I arrived to the room with my supplies he literally coded 10 seconds later. The code team arrived and a few people had trouble getting the suction connected and working. Eventually we got it set up but the patient still ended up dying. So from then on I always made sure suction is set up for every patient. You never know when you may need it.

[MunoRN, RN]

All patients should have suction set up. I will never forget the day when I was taking care of a man on a med surg unit in nursing school. He was a "walkie talkie" who was progressing well. During rounds I noticed that he didnt have sucntion set up. No biggie, I just went to the utility room and grabbed a yanker and cannister. When I arrived to the room with my supplies he literally coded 10 seconds later. The code team arrived and a few people had trouble getting the suction connected and working. Eventually we got it set up but the patient still ended up dying. So from then on I always made sure suction is set up for every patient. You never know when you may need it.

I'd being willing to bet that patient didn't actually die due to lack of suction.