The Airway Company Shikani Speaking Valve For Tracheostomy Patients

The Airway Company Shikani Speaking Valve Features

• Designed to be smaller and less conspicuous for daily use, offering a lower visual profile for the patient
• Patented, two-way valve offers decreased work of breathing and the ability to adapt the flow and closure characteristics to individual needs of each patient
• Lightweight ball design offers lower resistance during inhalation, enabling patients to inhale easily
• Facilitated speech with enhanced naturalness
• Enables patients to inhale with greater ease, allowing for an improved overall breathing experience and subjectively better voice
• Includes a retaining lanyard for attaching the valve to the tracheostomy tube to prevent loss of the valve
• Features an adaptable design that allows patients and clinical professionals to easily control airflow and closure performance
• Utilizes a unidirectional ball design which offers lower airflow resistance as compared to existing membrane-flapper or disc type valves
• Use of a speaking valve and an HME together allows tracheostomy patients to receive the benefits of both speech and increased pulmonary health

Shikani Speaking Valve Benefits

 

Smaller
The compact Shikani Speaking Valve was designed to be smaller and less conspicuous for daily use, offering a lower visual profile for the patient. The valve is available in Clear or Blue.
 

 

 

Smarter
The Shikani Speaking Valve features an adaptable design that allows patients and clinical professionals to easily control airflow and closure performance. By changing the valve’s orientation on the inner cannula, tracheotomy patients can adjust the flow and closure characteristics to achieve their optimal breathing and speech setting.
 

 

 

 

SmootherThe patented Shikani Speaking Valve utilizes a lightweight ball design which offers lower resistance during inhalation. This enables patients to inhale with greater ease, allowing for an improved overall breathing experience and subjectively better voice.

 

Commonly Asked Questions on Tracheostomy

 

What to buy with Tracheostomy Speaking Valve?

Used together: the Shikani Speaking Valve and Shikani HME allow patients to speak and improve their lung health simultaneously, a paradigm shift in tracheotomy patient care. Although these devices can be used independent of one another, the combination of the two restores a tracheotomy patient’s quality of life in an unmatched way.
The Airway Company Shikani Heat Moisture Exchanger (Code: HME-SV)

Precautions to take while using Speaking Valve?

• Patient should be awake, alert, and have a patent airway before the valve is introduced.
• Not for use when the patient is asleep
• Patient should be evaluated by a trained clinical professional for tolerance of the valve.
• The evaluation should include the following basic measures: oxygen saturation levels, heart rate, and work of breathing for an appropriate duration depending on the patients medical condition
• Secretion management, suctioning needs, and patients subjective valve tolerance, alertness, and ability to learn new information should also be addressed
• Patient should be instructed to remove the valve immediately if shortness of breath is experienced
• For cuffed tracheostomy tubes, ensure that the cuff is fully deflated prior to placing the valve to allow airflow around the tracheostomy tube.

How to clean Trach Speaking Valve?

• Do not clean the valve while it is still attached to the tracheostomy tube
• Once the valve is removed from the inner or outer cannula, it may be cleaned in any proteolytic enzyme cleaner
• Proteolytic enzyme cleaner is readily available packaged as contact lens cleaner
• The valve should then be placed in hydrogen peroxide for 10 minutes
• Clean the valve of any residual secretions by swishing it in the hydrogen peroxide
• Valve can be cleaned with a cotton swab without fear of damage
• The hydrogen peroxide should be completely flushed off with tap water
• Dry thoroughly after cleaning is complete

Warnings:

• Only use the solutions identified above
• Do not use a sharp object to assist cleaning
• Do not leave the valve in hydrogen peroxide for more than 10 minutes as doing so can decrease the life expectancy of the valve