Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of knowledge of health care professionals in an emergency situation related to tracheostomy tube displacement
Methods: a descriptive and exploratory study was carried out with the intensive care unit health professionals of a university hospital in Salvador, Brazil, from July to September 2007. For this purpose, a questionnaire was translated and adapted from a previous study. Questions were: 1- Have you dealt with this emergency? 2 - What is the first thing you do? 3- Do you know what the stay sutures are for? 4 - How are they used in an emergency setting? 5 -Do you know what to do with the introducer?
Results: the sample comprised 41 professionals (nine physicians, 20 nurses and 12 physiotherapists). A descriptive analysis showed that 63% of professionals had never experienced such complications. Analysis of a subgroup showed that 42% of physiotherapists, 56% of physicians and 69% of nurses would act inappropriately. Analyzing the level of knowledge about the importance of stay sutures, the study showed that 78% of the sample did not know what they were or how to use them, and 63.4% did not know how to use the introducer correctly.
Conclusions: , regarding the use of a tracheostomy tube in a situation of emergency, the level of knowledge of the professionals evaluated was insufficient. The greatest shortcoming was detected in the level of knowledge about stay sutures.