Can you suction a baby throat

If both the mouth and nose need to be suctioned, suction the mouth first. Try to limit suctioning to two to three times a day. Suctioning more often may cause the inside of the nose to dry out, get sore and bleed. A small suction tube is connected to a suction device. Salt water solution may be used to thin and loosen the mucus and to moisten the inside of the nose.

This makes most children cough. The coughing will help bring up the mucus to the back of throat where it can be removed. This may need to be done several times in each side of the nose. Also, your child may have a mild nosebleed. NP suctioning is only done when it is necessary. Oral suctioning is useful when your child is unable to remove secretions by coughing for example, they have a weak cough or they are drooling because they cannot swallow.

A suction catheter a thin, clear, soft plastic tube preferably with depth markings on it is inserted to a predetermined depth through the nose nasopharyngeal or mouth oropharyngeal to the back of the throat. This type of suctioning is useful when secretions are pooled at the back of the throat and your child does not have the ability to cough them up or swallow them.

This method is usually done with an artificial airway such as a tracheostomy tube. It removes mucus between the end of the tube and the carina the part where the trachea splits into the bronchi, the tubes that go into the lungs. Deep suctioning is often done in urgent situations when secretions are unable to be removed by the other methods and the child is in distress. Skip to main content. It looks like your browser does not have JavaScript enabled.

Please turn on JavaScript and try again. Listen Focus. What are secretions? Error was Detected. Your browser doesn't support JavaScript code, or you have disabled JavaScript. Choose location Choose Location. Sign in or Enroll Enter a search term:. Change Location X. We've expanded your view You are now viewing all services in the Sutter Health network. You can change your location above to narrow your view to a medical group, hospital, city or zip. Search Close Search.

Home Health and Wellness Newborns Breathing. Release the pressure and remove the mucus. Further suctioning of the nostrils may contribute to the swelling. Repeat in the other nostril.

Cleaning the bulb syringe: Clean the bulb by flushing it out with hot soapy water after each use. Do not wash in the dishwasher.