Tracheostomy Care
Day-to-day support for a child who breathes through a tracheostomy tube, and for the family caring for them at home.
Overview
Understanding Tracheostomy Care at Home
A tracheostomy is a small surgical opening in the neck that holds a breathing tube, giving a child a clear and direct airway.
It may be placed when a child's usual airway is narrowed, weakened or blocked, or when breathing support is expected to be needed over a long period.
Because the tube bypasses the nose and mouth, the air reaching a child's lungs is not warmed and filtered the way it usually would be, so the airway needs steady attention through the day.
Having a tracheostomy is not a diagnosis. It is a way of keeping an airway open, and many children who have one go to school, play and grow up at home with their families.
- Care follows your child's physician-ordered plan
- A care need, not a diagnosis
- Support for the whole family, not only the child
- Care that fits around ordinary family life
Support at home
What Families May Need Support With
What support at home may look like, where it is ordered by your child's physician.
A nurse in the home keeps watch on a child's breathing and comfort through the hours they are there, and notices small changes early rather than late.
Families learn the daily routine alongside the nursing team, at their own pace, until it feels familiar instead of frightening.
Nurses help keep supplies, equipment and records organized, so care fits around ordinary family life rather than taking it over.
Daytime and overnight nursing gives parents room to sleep, work and be present for their other children.
The nursing team passes on what it observes day to day, so the child's doctors are making decisions with a real picture of life at home.
Safety and Monitoring
Care that follows the plan
Nursing care is carried out as your child's physician has ordered it.
Changes noticed early
What the nurse sees day to day is passed on to your child's medical team.
Families prepared, not left alone
Parents learn the routine alongside the team, at their own pace.
Related Services
Pediatric Skilled Nursing
Nursing care for medically complex children, delivered at home instead of in a hospital room.
Respiratory & Airway Care
Support at home for children who depend on a tracheostomy, ventilator, oxygen or airway clearance.
Complex Pediatric Care
Coordinated home care for children whose needs cross breathing, feeding, neurology and daily living.
Related conditions
Related Conditions in Children
Diagnoses where this care need often comes up. Having one does not mean a child needs this care.
Helpful Resources
Related guides and resources
- A Parent's Guide to Spinal Cord Injury in Children
Damage to the spinal cord that interrupts signals between the brain and the body below the level of injury.
- A Parent's Guide to Respiratory Failure in Children
When a child's lungs or breathing muscles cannot sustain breathing alone and ongoing respiratory support is needed.
- Your Guide to the Georgia Pediatric Program
What GAPP is, who it serves, how requests are reviewed, and how to start a conversation.
- The Parent Caregiver Pathway
What the parent caregiver route involves, and why it is not available to every family.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will our child be able to make sounds or speak?
Many children do, though it often takes time and depends on the child and the type of tube they have. A child's medical team and speech-language therapist work on communication together, and a home nursing team supports whatever plan they set. Plenty of children also use signs, gestures or communication devices alongside their voice.
Is it really safe to manage a tracheostomy at home?
Families care for children with tracheostomies at home every day. Before a child comes home, the hospital team teaches caregivers what they need to know and arranges the equipment and follow-up, and home nursing continues that support afterward. No parent is expected to learn everything at once, or to carry it alone.
How long will our child have a tracheostomy?
That varies a great deal. For some children it is part of a period of recovery or growth; for others it is longer term. Only your child's medical team can speak to their situation, and it is a reasonable question to keep asking at appointments as things change.
What if we feel out of our depth?
That is one of the most common things families tell us, and it does not mean anything is wrong with you. A nursing team is there for the household as well as the child — answering questions you did not want to ask in a hospital corridor, and being the calm second set of hands while confidence builds.
About this information
This page is general information for families, written in plain language by the WeLIVE Healthcare team. It is not medical advice and does not replace the judgment of your child’s physician, who knows your child. Always talk with your child’s care team about their specific needs.
We're Here to Support Your Family.
Tell us a little about your child and our team will follow up to talk through care options at home.
Requesting a screening is not an application for Medicaid and does not determine eligibility.