Dwellness^™ • DeLee Suctioning

DeLee Suctioning

Dwellness^™ customization for:

Your Patient

Kendall Argyle DeLee Suction

General Principles

[NOTE: The DeLee suction device is for manual suctioning, in case the suction machine is inoperable or inaccessible.]
[NOTE: Keep all of your senses open constantly, and you will be able to know your patient's exact condition. Once you get to know all your patient's variable signs that indicate how your patient feels and potential risks, you’ll be able to make observations even when you’re not right up close.]
[NOTE: Your patient's underlying diagnosis can make it hard for your patient to swallow your patient's own secretions effectively. This increases when your patient is tired, usually in the evening. There are clear and distinctive ways for you to detect when this inability to swallow may lead to choking, gagging, and even throwing up. Suctioning is one way to intervene.]

Procedures

• Your patient does cough fairly regularly during each day
• Listen carefully for the sound of a cough turning into the sound of gagging
• When your patient is having trouble processing secretions, your patient's face can look flushed sometimes
• Watch for accumulation of secretions inside your patient's mouth

[NOTE: Remember to always "narrate" what you are doing before, during, and after any action you take.]

→ CAUTION: Do not place the tip of the catheter too deep into your patient's mouth. This can cause damage and pain in the back of your patient's mouth. It also increases the risk of emesis. ←

1. Be sure your patient is seated and secured in either the Rifton chair or a wheelchair
2. With sanitized or freshly washed hands, open a DeLee package
3. Place the tip catheter just inside your patient's mouth
4. Start sucking on the mouthpiece
5. Sometimes your patient will close your patient's mouth over the wand and "spit" into it
6. Move the wand gently to each side of your patient's tongue
7. Move the wand gently up into the roof of your patient's mouth

→ CAUTION: Do not place the tip of the catheter too deep into your patient's mouth. This can cause damage and pain in the back of your patient's mouth. ←

1. Be sure your patient is comfortable, preferably in the Recovery Position
2. With sanitized or freshly washed hands, open a DeLee package
3. Place the tip catheter just inside your patient's mouth
4. Start sucking on the mouthpiece
5. Move the wand gently to each side of your patient's tongue
6. Move the wand gently up into the roof of your patient's mouth

1. Continue to observe your patient carefully
2. Dispose of the DeLee device that you just used

[NOTE: Dispose of the DeLee after each use. If you know that you might have to perform DeLee suctioning repeatedly, then keep enough fresh DeLee devices at hand.]