Ventilator Care

Suction Catheters are sterile, single-use flexible tubes designed for aspiration of pulmonary secretions from the airways of intubated, tracheostomized, or spontaneously breathing patients unable to clear their own secretions. Available in French sizes 5 Fr-18 Fr, with whistle-tip or coude configurations, single or multiple eyelets, and thumb-controlled suction valves. Open suction catheters are single-pass devices requiring strict sterile technique and immediate disposal. Closed (in-line) suction catheters are enclosed in a sterile sheath, permitting suctioning without ventilator disconnection, maintaining PEEP, and reducing aerosolization of pathogens—essential for high-frequency ventilation, ARDS, and airborne precautions. Critical safety parameters include catheter gauge not exceeding one-half the endotracheal tube internal diameter, suction duration ≤15 seconds, and vacuum pressure ≤150 mmHg. Proper technique prevents hypoxemia, mucosal trauma, and ventilator-associated pneumonia.