While still being confused about quite a few things and been spoken to by doctor about tracheotomy for family member now in ICU, l wish to know from people who've had experience with such patients.

What happens when person has tracheotomy done in hospital? With what equipment is she sent home?

The reason the doctor wants to do a tracheotomy is because ur family member has been on a respirator or ventilator for long enough that the tube in the patients nose or mouth can cause complications.

Some of the complications include ulcers or sores eroding the tissue where the tube rubs 24/7.
Increased infection from the bacteria migratrating from the mouth to the lungs.
It is easier to ''mobilize'' secretions, with a tracheotomy than having the tube come out through the mouth or nose. Mobilize means cough & suction out mucos that could cause pneumonia.
It is also more comfortable to have a tracheotomy than have a tube in ur nose or mouth.
The trach can be surgically closed when the patient recovers & may not be needed when the patient is discharged to go home.
What equipment depends on whether the patient needs the tracheotomy after discharge from the hospital.
In the hospital a small incision is made in the throat to provide direct access to the wind pipe.This maintains a patent airway which is necessary for life.

If ur family member goes home with a tracheotomy a Home health nurse & a respiratory thearipist will most likely come to the home prior to her/ his discharge to provide equipment, & training will be provided while patient is still in the hospital,
However this is not going to happen while the patient is in ICU.
The patient will have to become stable enough to get out of ICU & then stabalised on the floor of a unit at the hospital where stabilised patients get strong enough for either pulmonary rehabilitation or discharge home.
But this is a way down the road.
If the doctor is asking for family consent for the tracheotomy procedure,He is doing whats in the best interest of ur family member. This is very common in ICU to do a tracheotomy after a patient has been on a ventilator for a certain amount of time. It is considered good medicine. l have never seen a family refuse, & the patient usually benefits from having a tracheotomy, & avoids complications.
The only reason to avoid a tracheotomy is if the patient is not going to need the ventilator within a short amt of time say, less than 72 hours, or if the patient has a bleeding problem. You can ask the doc about these two possibilities.
Best of luck.

Depending on how soon after the tracheostomy is peformed & she goes home, u may have to do some wound care. Some doctors prefer it to be done twice a day while others want it once a day. There is usually a gauze around the trach. That has to be removed when u r cleaning the trach or when it becomes dirty. You can clean the wound with a long Q-tip. The doctor will probably inform u about what u will need to clean it with such as sterile water, ointment etc. Depending on the type of trach she has, u may have to clean the inner cannula or u may have a disposable one (throw the inner cannula in the trach away & replace it with a new one). Even after the wound has healed, u will have to continue to do trach care to prevent any infection.
As far as oxygen goes, she may or may not need it. Regardless if she does or does not need oxygen, she will require humidity. Her natural humidifiers r bypassed now that she has a trach in place. So, she will most likely have some sort of humidifier for her trach too. Hope this has helped. Feel free to email me with more questions.