voice after trach decan?

Specialties PICU

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Random question here but we have a pt on our unit right now who comes in every few months. This pt is about 26 mos old or so. Trached over a year ago for severe tracheal stenosis and had had multiple reconstructions. Decaned two or three months ago and doing well. Pt still has a small opening to the trachea which parents keep covered w a bandaid per MD recs. Pt is delayed in speech but quite vocal, however his voice still sounds very "kazoo" like if you can imagine that. Pt did use a pass muir valve when trached and it sounds kind of like that. Will the pt grow out of this and have a somewhat "normal" voice one day? Just something I was thinking about today...

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

My five year old former home care girl has been decannulated for a year and a half. She's getting a more normal voice- but she also has a real nasal quality to her voice (which I think is related to her cleft palate, which is only partially repaired)

Oh, and one of the first words I ever heard her say was my name!! Made me cry...

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Specializes in PICU, Sedation/Radiology, PACU.

I think it's normal from the passage of air out of the stoma/tract. As the tract heals it should get better.

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Good to know! This little one's mom had been wheeling him around the unit all day trying to get him to sleep so every time he "kazoo'd" by the thought popped into my head and the coworkers I asked weren't sure

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