Prostacyclin is administered continuously through a catheter placed in the vein. Patients who undergo prostacyclin therapy must be hospitalized at the initiation of treatment for monitoring and education. Any patient who needs oxygen on a long-term basis is a potential candidate for TTOC placement. While the patient is under local anesthesia, the doctor places a TTO catheter into the trachea, then secures the catheter in place with a necklace. When connected to a portable oxygen tank or other oxygen source, the catheter delivers oxygen directly into the trachea.
Patients benefit from transtracheal oxygen delivery in a number of ways.
They need less oxygen, can exercise better, and don't have to work as hard to breathe. TTOCs are also less obvious in appearance and don't interfere with eating or drinking. TTOC require a significant amount of care on the part of the patient. The TTOC program at the Penn Lung Center provides education and close follow-up for patients undergoing the procedure. Over the past decade, noninvasive ventilation, delivered by a nasal or face mask, has gained increasingly widespread acceptance for the support of people with chronic respiratory failure.