Introduction: A tracheostomy is a surgical procedure that establishes an airway through the skin of the neck to the trachea or windpipe, and maintains the opening with a tracheostomy cannula. With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, tracheostomy has become extremely problematic due to the formation and spread of aerosols of SARS-CoV-2 viruses, which can cause infection of the surgical and anaesthetic teams and staff caring for the patient in the perioperative period. It is important that they take care to minimise the risk of aerosols and their transmission, through proper hygiene practices, patient protection,
personal protective equipment (PPE), and the use of closed tracheostomy systems. Purpose: The purpose is to present nursing care and the role of the nurse in a tracheotomized patient with confirmed SARS CoV-2. Methods: The thesis is based on a descriptive method with a
review of selected Slovenian and English literature. The literature review was performed in
the databases COBIB.si, CINAHL, Medline and ScienceDirect, as well as in the online search engines PubMed and Google Scholar. 45 units of literature were used in the thesis.
Results: The procedure and method of performing the tracheostomy are extremely
important, as they also affect the subsequent performance of the patient's nursing care. During the pandemic, nurses faced many problems and obstacles such as: lack of staff, fear of exposure to the virus, risk to their health, the health of their families, and lack of knowledge about personal protective equipment. The use of preliminary measures in the implementation of quality nursing care cannot ensure the safety and preservation of health
of the nurse and other people involved in the tracheostomy of patients with COVID-19. This is no less true for other patients and their relatives. Discussion and conclusion: Nursing has changed more than any other profession during the pandemic. Unpredictable situations during the COVID-19 pandemic required quick responses and the introduction of many changes in nursing processes. The nurse and other staff involved in the care of a patient with tracheotomy with a SARS-CoV-2 infection are obliged to fully and consistently use personal protective equipment to prevent infection of the medical staff.
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