289 – Tracheostomy Care Isn’t What It Used to Be: Insights from an SLP and a Surgeon

How confident are you in your trach and vent knowledge?

What about the interprofessional collaboration, patient advocacy, and therapeutic techniques we should be fighting for with this population? 

In this episode of the Swallow Your Pride Podcast, Rachael Silveira, a passionate tracheostomy specialist, teamed up with Dr. Nicole López, a surgical critical care fellow, to address the gaps in tracheostomy care they witnessed. They noticed that patients were falling through the cracks and not receiving the optimal care they deserved. And let me tell you, their journey to revolutionize tracheostomy care is nothing short of awe-inspiring.

Get the show notes at: https://syppodcast.com/289

[00:02:48] Collaboration and Advocacy for Tracheostomy Care

[00:06:41] Roles of Surgeons and Speech-Language Pathologists in Tracheostomy Care

[00:09:15] Culture Shift in Tracheostomy Care

[00:10:17] Gaining Knowledge in Tracheostomy Care

[00:11:50] Collaboration and Education in Tracheostomy Management

[00:18:02] Inline pacing and ventilator settings

[00:19:26] Collaboration between SLPs and physicians

[00:22:39] Setting patients up for success in the next level of care

[00:26:17]Collaboration and Communication in Tracheostomy Care

[00:27:25]The Impact of Providing a Voice to Patients

[00:28:02] The Ideal Course and Setup for Tracheostomy Care

[00:34:26] Evaluating Secretions and Managing Tracheostomy

[00:35:09] Tube Exchange and Downsize Considerations

[00:39:00] Collaboration and Communication in Tracheostomy Care

[00:43:49] Importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in tracheostomy care and patient outcomes.

[00:44:01] Challenges in tracheostomy management and the need for better communication and education.

[00:45:11] Advocacy for the use of fees (Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing) in tracheostomy patients and its impact on patient care.