One person commented that using nighttime ventilation felt like recharging his batteries. Energy for schoolwork, computers and friends can get a real boost after air exchange is improved. A tracheostomy is another way to deliver ventilatory assistance. Instead of pumping air into the nose or mouth, or applying negative pressure to the outside of the body, tracheostomy ventilation puts the air into a small tube inserted into the person's trachea in the throat. Tracheostomy-delivered ventilation is sometimes preferred by physicians because it has a certain dependability.
Many people associate tracheostomy ventilation with permanent ventilation.
This is because, in many conditions where trachs are used, such as high spinal cord injury, there is no respiratory muscle activity and mechanical ventilation is needed all the time. However, in DMD, where there is usually some respiratory muscle control, trach-delivered ventilation doesn't have to be full time. Another myth about trachs is that you can't talk with one. Most modern trachs are designed with valves to allow talking. Tracheostomies aren't without their problems, however.