Originally published on March 14, 2011
Family member D.S. asks, “Medicare only supplies one cleaning kit per day, and we were told to clean the trach 2-3 times per day. Is it OK to reuse the cleaning tray and supplies?”
Answer: It is very important to clean the trach no less than twice per day while at home. It should be done 3 or more times per day when secretions are plentiful, and no less than twice per day, even when secretions have diminished. This cleaning includes soaking, scrubbing, and rinsing the inner cannula (when present), cleansing the stoma, and changing the trach ties as necessary.
This trach care is done using clean technique at home, rather than the sterile technique used in the hospital. The cleaning tray and the bottle brush can be rinsed off and used again. If secretions are difficult to remove from the bristles, another option is to use a few pipe cleaners to scrub the inside of the tube.
If these methods don’t work well, ask your physician for a letter of medical necessity for additional cleaning supplies.