Suctioning:

Oropharyngeal
Nasopharyngeal
 • Define suctioning and its
purpose.
• Identify clinical signs
indicating need for
Learning suctioning.
objectives: • Describe how to safely
perform oropharyngeal and
nasopharyngeal suctioning.
• Perform properly the
procedure.
Your oropharynx is the middle part
of your throat (pharynx) just
beyond your mouth. Your
oropharynx includes the back part
of your tongue (base of tongue),
your tonsils, your soft palate (back
part of the roof of your mouth),
and the sides and walls of your
throat
 Suctioning

Aspirating secretions through

a catheter connected to a
suction machine or wall
suction outlet
• Position:
Conscious- Semi-fowler’s
Unconscious - Lateral
• Upper airway suctioning:
– Oropharyngeal
suctioning (oro-mouth)
-
– Nasopharyngeal
suctioning (naso-nose)
 To remove secretions that
obstruct the airway

To facilitate ventilation

Purposes
To obtain secretion for
diagnostic purposes

To prevent infection that may

result from accumulated
secretions
 Suction catheter
Types: Sizes:
• Open tipped • Adult
• Whistle tipped – Fr # 12 to 18
– Less irritating to • Children
respiratory tissues – Fr # 8 `to 10
– More effective for • Infants
removing thick mucous
plugs – Fr # 5 to 8
 Suction Device
Wall unit Portable unit
Suction pressure Suction pressure
• Adult • Adult
– 100 to 120mmHg – 10 to 15mmHg
• Child • Child
– 95 to 110mmHg – 5 to 10mmHg
• Infant • Infant
– 50 to 95mmHg – 2 to 5mmHg
 SIZE OF WALL UNIT PORTABLE
CATHETER

ADULT Fr. 12 – 18 100 – 120mmHg 10 – 15mmHg

CHILD Fr. 8 – 10 95 – 110mmHg 5 – 10mmHg

INFANT Fr. 5 – 8 50 – 95mmHg 2 – 5mmHg

Things to remember!
OROPHARYNGEAL/ NASOPHARYNGEAL SUCTIONING
PROCEDURE
 Oropharyngeal and
Nasopharyngeal
Suctioning

• Assess indications for suctioning:

– audible secretions during
respiration
– adventitious breath sounds Conscious patient Unconscious
• Position patient
Semi – Fowler’s position with: Lateral position
✓head turned to one side for oral and the patient
suctioning . facing you .
✓For nasal suctioning with the neck
• Pressure of suction equipment to hyperextended.
prevent trauma to mucous
membrane of airways.
• Appropriate size of sterile suction
catheter
• Open appropriate suction kit or
catheter using sterile technique.
• Place a sterile drape over the chest
of the patient.
• Open sterile basin and fill with
approximately 100ml of sterile
normal saline solution or water.
• Open lubricant and squeeze small
amount onto sterile catheter
package
– Naso- water soluble lubricant
– Oro- sterile water or NSS
• Apply gloves
– Oropharyngeal : clean gloves
– Nasopharyngeal: sterile gloves
• Pick up suction catheter with
dominant hand without touching
nonsterile surface. Pick up connecting
tubing with nondominant hand.
Connect both tubes.
• Place tip of catheter into sterile basin
and suction a small amount of NSS.
• Suction airway
Oropharyngeal
• Remove O2 mask if present
but keep it near the patient’s
face
• Insert catheter into patient’s • Remove O2 device with
mouth and suction
intermittently moving around
the mouth including pharynx
and gum line
Nasopharyngeal
• Lubricate distal 6-8 cm (2-3
inches) of catheter tip with
water-soluble lubricant.
nondominant hand while using
dominant hand insert catheter
into the nares.
• Have patient take a deep breath
and insert slightly slant catheter
downward and advance to
pharynx.
• Suction airway
Oropharyngeal Nasopharyngeal
• Encourage patient to cough • Apply intermittent suction while
and repeat suctioning if slowly withdrawing catheter in
needed. Replace O2 mask rotating between thumb and
forefinger.
• Rinse catheter with saline or
water from basin with suction
until cleared from secretions.
• Rinse catheter and connecting
tubing with normal saline or
water until cleared.
• Assess for need to repeat
suctioning procedure.
• Ask patient to deep breath and
cough.
• If using yankuer catheter, place
in a clean, dry area for reuse
with suction turned off.
• Disconnect catheter from connecting
tubing. Turn of suction.
• Dispose catheter rolled inside the
used gloves and discard in
appropriate receptacle.
• Remove towel and place in laundry or
remove drape and discard.
• Reposition patient and do oral
hygiene.
• Discard all used materials
• Evaluate patient (VS, Oxygen
saturation, lung sounds, secretions)
• Document.
 Documentation
➢The amount .
➢Consistency .
• Record the ➢Color .
procedure : ➢Odor of the mucus .
➢Client breathing status
before and after.

• If the technique is carried out frequently it

may be appropriate to record only once , how
ever the frequency of suctioning must be
recorded
rosanna p. suva, man, rn