Trach and showers

dollphyn · Aug 11, 2008

Has anyone, as a student or RN, given a trach patient a shower? If so, what did you do to cover the trach? Had a traumatizing experience and can't seem to shake it off just yet...

I take care of trache patients, but I am with a hospital that has something called Comfort baths. It is cloths that have soap already on them and you don't have to use water to give the patient a bath while in the hospital. Comfort baths are not all that great and sometimes I have to get out the soap and water. I would rather bed bath a trache, but.....

I had this one patient that insisted on taking a shower. He took a washcloth and held it against his stoma while he was facing away from the shower head. Yes, the washcloth got somewhat wet, but he did not inhale any water while he did this in the shower, mainly because he faced away from the shower head. I have also had some patients that have told me that they use a hand held shower head at home. Who knows? That might be something that trache patients might think about bringing with them to keep the stoma dry. Hopefully this helps you.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Aug 11, 2008

You could put a little plastic hood over the trach so that doesn't happen--just make sure it doesn't restrict air intake. Slip the ends of it through the trach ties on each side of the trach tube to hold it in place. Use a shower cap that is folded up or cut down to a size you can use. If you can't find one, I would take a clean, unused plastic trash bag from it's roll (not from the trash can) and cut it down to a size that will work for you. If a little water still gets around the trach wound itself it won't be the end of the world. In fact, it's a good way to get a lot of the crusted gunk loosened up and cleaned off the wound. Just make sure the patient doesn't breathe water into the respiratory track. If this patient were at home I'd cut down a Zip Lock bag (nice thick plastic) and wouldn't worry in the least about the shower. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that the medical supply stores probably have some sort of plastic shower cover with holes for breathing in it for trach patients.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Aug 11, 2008

i knew there would be commercial products on the market. i should have looked before i posted. here are two examples with photos to give you an idea of what they look like--waterproof bibs.

check with central supply to see if they have one of these (hey! you never know! they might surprise you) before you begin, or if the patient has had this trach for a while, he/she may already have one of their own.