Endotracheal Suctioning Endotracheal suctioning is a necessary and vital procedure done on patients who have an established artificial airway. The goal of endotracheal suctioning is to clear secretions from the patient’s airway and to improve gas exchange (Ackerman, 1993). The instillation of normal saline prior to endotracheal suctioning is a common practice of nurses. Reasons for such practice are varied. One such reason is to loosen and dilute thick, tenacious secretions in the patient’s respiratory tract so that secretions become mobilized and are thus easier to remove during suctioning. Furthermore, such normal saline instillation (NSI) is used to elicit a cough from the patient in hopes of mobilizing secretions as well. Finally, normal saline is used to lubricate the suction catheter for easier passage down the endotracheal tube and to ease the dis....

Number Of Pages: 10

Number Of Words: 2476

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