Your doctor might order extra humidification to your trach. When a patient needs humidification to thin out thick secretions, a trach collar setup with humidification will be ordered. Your respiratory home care company will provide the supplies necessary for this setup.
Follow their guidelines regarding what type of water to put in your humidification bottle. At right is a picture of such a setup for home care.
Heat moisture exchangers (sometimes called artificial noses) may be ordered by your doctor. These are small filters that fit directly on your trach tube. Each time you exhale, the moisture in your breath is held in the two sponges at the end of the adapter.
Since a number of different companies make these, they may appear different, but they all have the same function. In the home setting, these can be disassembled, washed in a mild soapy solution, rinsed and air-dried.
