Suction catheter

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Suction catheter

A suction catheter , also called suction catheter , is an aid or accessory for the suction of sputum or liquids (blood, chyme) from the throat and trachea in the human body, which is connected to a suction pump as part of the airway management . The catheters consist of a flexible PVC or silicone tube, almost exclusively disposable material is used. Conventional catheters have a single opening at the tip of the catheter and one or more lateral openings. So-called atraumatic catheters have an annular bead around the catheter tip at their distal end. As a result, an “air cushion” forms around the suction opening during suction, which is intended to avoid suction of the mucous membrane.

The sizes range from Charrière 5 to 20 with lengths of 20 to 60 cm. The diameter is indicated by the different colors of the connection funnel at the top.

Closed suction systems

Closed suction systems are used in intensive care medicine for longer ventilation therapies or when working with high ventilation pressures. These systems consist of an extension piece that is inserted between the endotracheal tube or the tracheal cannula and the ventilator and connected to the suction pump . A valve is also attached to start the suction. The actual catheter is placed in a plastic sheath on this extension piece, through which it can be inserted into the endotracheal tube or the tracheal cannula and withdrawn again after the suction process without touching the actual catheter. This means that it is not necessary to open the ventilation system for every suction process and the risk of bacterial contamination, pneumonia and atelectasis can be reduced; however, closed suction systems are very expensive.

Color coding of suction catheters
Size in charrière CH 5 CH 6 CH 8 CH 10 CH 12 CH 14 CH 16 CH 18 CH 20
colour Gray light green blue black White green orange red yellow
Diameter
(mm)
1.7 2.0 2.7 3.3 4.1 4.7 5.3 6.1 6.6

literature

  • Reinhard Larsen, Thomas Ziegenfuß: Ventilation: Basics and Practice. Springer, 2009, ISBN 3-540-88811-X
  • Care facts: decision-making aids, overviews, standard values. Elsevier, Urban & Fischer Verlag, 2009, ISBN 3-437-28590-4

Individual evidence

  1. Reinhard Larsen, Thomas Ziegenfuß: Ventilation: Basics and Practice. Springer, 2009, ISBN 3-540-88811-X , p. 122.
  2. Reinhard Larsen, Thomas Ziegenfuß: Ventilation: Basics and Practice. Springer, 2009, ISBN 3-540-88811-X , p. 123.
  3. Care facts: decision-making aids, overviews, standard values. Elsevier, Urban & Fischer Verlag, 2009, ISBN 3-437-28590-4 , p. 4.
  4. Practical instructions: Perform suction (catheter). Set of suction catheters. In: Virtual San Arena Erlangen. Bavarian Red Cross , accessed February 8, 2016 .