What to do if you choke while eating after laryngeal cancer surgery

Patients with laryngeal cancer will experience some abnormal conditions after surgery. At this time, nursing care is needed to avoid the impact and harm caused by these abnormal symptoms. So what should patients with laryngeal cancer pay attention to after surgery? How should they be cared for?

1. Avoid increasing wound tension: Lie flat before waking up from general anesthesia, and raise it 10 to 30 degrees after waking up. Tilt the head forward and do not turn the head and neck significantly to avoid excessive tension that affects wound healing.

2. Tracheotomy care: Aspirate bloody secretions in the trachea promptly and clean the cannula in time, change the cannula and boil it for disinfection every day, change the dressing, and disinfect the area around the wound with 75% alcohol twice a day. In addition, the air should be humidified. When the secretions are viscous, dilute the mucus-diluting drugs to keep the airway open.

3. Observe wound bleeding: report any problems to the doctor immediately and record the fluid intake and output for 24 hours after surgery.

4. Rational use of antibiotics after surgery: perform good oral care, once in the morning and once in the evening after surgery, reduce unnecessary movement of people in the ward, and perform regular ultraviolet disinfection.

5. Supportive therapy: intravenous administration of amino acids, fat emulsion, glucose, etc.; nasogastric feeding: liquid food, such as mixed milk, fruit juice, etc., can be taken 4 to 6 hours after waking up from general anesthesia. The gastric tube is usually removed in 7 to 14 days.

6. Prevent pharyngeal fistula and false passage formation: Due to stimulation from the gastric tube, oral secretions increase in patients who are fed nasogastric tubes, causing frequent swallowing or nausea and vomiting. Therefore, patients are advised to reduce swallowing movements and suck or spit out saliva when there is a lot of saliva. If necessary, atropine is injected according to the doctor's instructions to prevent pharyngeal fistula. If the gastric tube is dislocated, it should not be inserted forcibly to prevent the formation of a false passage, so as not to affect wound healing.

7. Early activities: After major laryngeal cancer surgery, patients should do active limb movements in bed within 3 days, get out of bed and move around 4 days after surgery, and be able to perform basic self-care activities in about 1 week.

8. Swallowing function training: Before removing the gastric tube, eat a small amount of mushy food for 1 to 2 days. If there is no choking or less choking during the trial eating, the gastric tube can be removed. After eating mushy food for 2 to 4 weeks, normal diet can be resumed. Teach the child to sit with the head slightly forward or pinch the front neck area with fingers to reduce choking during swallowing.