> Yes, very much so. During the day, my secretions get extremely dry
>and I don't feel the need for suctioning. But when I get in bed I
usually
>need it right away, lots of it and very dry and thick. Saline is
usually
> needed. If want to avoid drying out, put in a little saline
>periodically.
> Derek
>Interesting, I use the Passy-Muir during the day and I can cough the
>mucus up enough where I never need suctioning. At night I use the old
style
>cascade.
>"Jammin" Jim Heida Jr.
I use the Passy-Muir also. It lets me go for up to six hours without
suctioning.
I also use a Fisher Paykel humidifier. The original cascade was
discontinued
because of an accident. Because of a mild cardiomyopathy, I still get
suctioned.
My friend with a cuffed trach gets suctioned a lot, as I did when I had
the
cuffed. A cuffless is a huge difference, and causes much less secretions
to
be formed. Without the Passy, in bed, there tends to be more, because the
machine controls exhalation.
MarkTS (The Fang)
"Nah, I don't bite; at least not too hard, anyway."