New Training Resources on Caring for Children With Trachs
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A new video and an updated free online course are available to help support the care of children with tracheostomy tubes
Parents and caregivers have a lot to learn when their child needs a tracheostomy (trach) tube to breathe.
Our Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) team is here to support and guide families through learning how to care for their children’s complex medical needs.
We’ve gathered two new training resources to help families understand trach care.
Lurie Children’s Hospital Video on How to Handle Trach Emergencies
When emergency situations occur, it’s very important to keep the child’s trach tube open and in place.
Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago has developed a video to help parents, caregivers and others know how to handle emergency situations with pediatric trach patients.
In this video, Lurie nurses explain:
- How to prevent and assess emergency situations
- How to manage a mucous plug
- How to replace a trach tube that has become dislodged
- What to do if the trach tube is difficult to replace
- When to provide manual ventilation using bag to trach tube, bag and mask to mouth, and mouth to mouth
We encourage our participant families in the Home Care Program to watch this video. Many of the children and youth in the Home Care Program rely on trachs and ventilators to breathe.
Please note that watching this video alone is not enough training to safely care for a child with a trach. Families should speak with their child’s doctors and care team about any questions or training needs.
For more information on how to safely care for a trach tube, you can visit Lurie’s Tracheostomy Care at Home webpage.
Free eHomeCare Course on How to Care for Children With A Trach
An updated free online course is available on how to care for children with trachs with or without a ventilator.
The eHomeCare program training is for:
- Nurses working in home-based environments
- Physicians
- Respiratory therapists
- Family members and caregivers of children with trachs with and without ventilators
- Students from health professions
The course is available until Sept. 30, 2026.
Learners can use this course for initial training, an annual review or as an ongoing resource.
The course learning objectives are:
- Describe best practices for providing day-to-day care for children with trachs with or without ventilators in the community
- Explain how to manage emergency situations for children with trachs with or without ventilators in the community
- Report an increase in confidence when caring for children with trachs with or without ventilators in the community
- Describe the roles and responsibilities of members of the healthcare team.
Free continuing education credits are available.
If you have trouble enrolling in the course or need help, please email help@icep.wisc.edu.
Again, please note that families should speak with their child’s doctors and care team about any questions or training needs for their child with a trach.
Our participant families can also contact their DSCC Care Coordinator with questions.
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