Background
A tracheotomy is the surgical procedure of creating a hole through a patient’s neck and into his/her trachea. It creates a new pathway for air to enter the lungs when the patient is unable to breathe normally. After a tracheotomy, a tracheostomy tube, or trach, is inserted through the hole. Air enters and exits exclusively through the trach, bypassing the upper airway.
As such, air is kept away from the vocal cords. In a normal person, sound waves are produced when expired air causes the vocal cords to vibrate. So when air cannot travel through the vocal cords, the patient loses the ability to speak. In these cases, a talking tracheostomy tube can be used to restore speech. A talking trach has a separate tube that directs air up the trachea through the vocal cords. An external air source is connected to this tube to supply the appropriate airflow. Examples of talking tracheostomy tubes:
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