sputum suction devices

Hi!
Never heard of it but would be Very interested to know more! I don’t produce sputum and have no way of checking for
Recurrence of MAC or other potential lung infection.
Please post or message me if you get any addtional info.
Thanks for reaching out to community….we all need better drugs, treatment, research to combat this chronic beast!!
Take Care,
Dee

ok, seems it's somehow invasive,risky, and only
used in ICU
Nasotracheal suctioning (NTS)
is the right keyword to search

Check out the Lung Matters Facebook page. Very helpful airway clearance techniques. I couldn’t produce any sputum either until I started doing the breathing squeezing and huffing . It’s exhausting but worth it

Nasotracheal suctioning is used to clear the nose and throat - often in people with obstructive airway diseases or illnesses, but only by trained personnel.
Lung tissues are remote from the nose, sufficient suction to remove mucus would surely damage the lungs and airway.
Intubation through the nose and airway are used in emergencies to reinflate lungs or attach a respirator, and in some cases to suction out blood or excessive fluid, but these procedures are done by trained professionals.

If they are talking about NTS, I agree it is too risky to attempt. Sterile gloves and suction catheters are used to avoid introducing bacteria.

I doubt that’s what they mean since it triggers cough reflex and I can’t imagine would be possible on your own.
I wonder if it’s nasal or post nasal drainage which would be like aspirating mucus with a bulb syringe, but using a catheter. If there is much suction, I’d think bloody noses would be a risk.

the tube is placed to the "carina" ,
where the trachea biforks,
so it should suck from the lower airways.
Apparently it's rarely done in USA but
I found some videos from Eastern Europe

Hello, I think that I would not rely on medical protocols from most of Eastern Europe, unless it was an actual University Hospital - they are not known for advanced medical practice. In the US and most countries, pulmonologists use a bronchoscope, with a camera at the end, to examine lungs and retrieve specimens. The patient is sedated for the procedure.

Using the method you describe to "suck from the lower airways" is very risky- below are diagrams of human lung. To reach the carina, you must safely insert the tube through the trachea, and a bad intubation can cause a great deal of damage. At that point, you might retrieve mucus from the bronchi, but any strong suction risks damaging the very delicate alveoli (tiny air sacs in the lung tissue.)

That would not be the same as NTS, where the device is only inserted to the back of the throat and is unlikely to retrieve mucus from the lungs.

Can you please post a link for the techniques? Thanks a lot. I always feel I can't clear enough and have residue.

It is done in USA in ICU’s and also done on long term and some home ventilator patients, but it has to be done with care and by trained staff or trained providers due to risk of infection, bleeding, etc.
As I said above, I can’t imagine a person being able to do it on their own. The body has a very strong cough reflex and unless you were extremely ill, you’d be coughing that catheter out before it got very far. It would be more likely to go into esophagus than trachea.
I worked in Critical Care for about 20 years (last century 😀) and we did it often for those too sick/sedated to cough sputum out. It’s not a pleasant experience for patients or staff.
As Sue mentioned, bronchs are done with suction to get specimens from lung.