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The pleural space is the area between the lung and the chest wall. If air, blood, or fluid gets into this space, it can be a problem. This air, fluid, or blood can cause one or both lungs to collapse, which makes breathing difficult. A chest tube can drain the pleural space. This tube is soft and flexible. Your child may need a chest tube to prevent their lung from collapsing. Or they may need it to allow the lung to expand after collapsing.

Your child's tracheostomy needs regular care to keep the area clean and to prevent infection. Follow these guidelines.

When your doctor is certain that you no longer need a tracheostomy (trach) tube to help you breathe, they will remove the tube from your neck and windpipe (trachea). This procedure is called decannulation.

Your lungs are each surrounded by two layers of membrane. The space between the layers is called the pleural space. Excess fluid, blood, pus, or air in the pleural space makes it hard for the lung to expand and makes breathing difficult. A chest tube is a soft, flexible tube put into the pleural space that drains blood, air, or excess fluid.

Having a tracheostomy can affect your ability to talk and communicate with others. A speech therapist (a person trained to help people who have problems speaking) will work with you to address these problems. If you can't talk, you can learn other ways to express your thoughts and feelings to others.

It may take you some time to adjust to your tracheostomy. You may wonder how it will affect your daily life. You will need to make some changes, but you can get used to having a tracheostomy tube ("trach tube"). Your family, friends, and doctor can help.

With a tracheostomy, your healthcare provider makes a small hole (stoma) in your windpipe (trachea) through your neck. A tracheostomy tube (trach tube) is then placed into the stoma. Air goes into and out of your lungs through the tube. Here are answers to some common questions that people often ask about tracheostomy.

An arterial line is a thin tube put into an artery. It lets your blood pressure be easily checked at all times. Here's what to expect with this procedure.

A tunneled catheter is one type of vascular access for hemodialysis.