TRACh Team
23
GLOSSARY
Carbon Dioxide:
waste gas breathed out from the lungs
Condensation
: when water vapor is changed into liquid water
Cuff
: a small balloon on the inside of the trach that is either filled with air or water
Exhalation
: breathing air out
Exhalation Limb:
a piece of the ventilator circuit which allows air to exit your child’s lungs and enter the room
Exhalation Valve
: part of the expiratory tube; where air exits into the room
Inhalation
: breathing air in
Inspiratory Limb:
a piece of the ventilator circuit which takes air from the ventilator to your child
Mucus Plug:
a collection of mucus in the trach making it difficult for your child to breathe
Normal saline
: sterile salt water
Oxygen
: a gas we breathe in
Self-inflating bag
: a breathing bag that fills with air and does not need any oxygen to fill; also known as an
Ambu Bag
Trachea
: the windpipe or airway that connects to the lungs
Ventilator
: a small, portable machine that moves air in and out of the lungs
Ventilator Circuit
: plastic tubing that
connects the ventilator to your child’s trach
Wye
: where the ventilator pressure lines and inspiratory/expiratory limbs attach; resembles the letter “Y”