Heat and moisture exchanger after laryngectomy

After a total laryngectomy, the upper airways are bypassed and breathing in and out occurs through the tracheostoma in the neck which means that the inhaled air flows directly into the lungs.

The lack of these functions impairs the lower airways and the activity of the cilia, which leads to pulmonary problems such as tracheobronchial mucus, excessive sputum production, crusting, which can also cause fatigue and shortness of breath.

To at least partially reduce these restrictions and compensate the nasal functions, an HME cassette can be attached over the tracheostoma to provide a means for conditioning, humidifying and to a certain extent filtering the inhaled air.

][3][4] These improvements can affect voice pitch, loudness and intelligibility,[citation needed] and on sleeping disorders and fatigue, which is often related to pulmonary problems.

Intraluminally through a device that is inserted into the tracheostoma Some laryngectomized patients require a laryngectomy tube to maintain stoma patency, especially in the early postsurgical days and during postoperative radiotherapy.