What it means
A guide that fills the opening of a hollow tube so the tube slides into the body without scraping or catching tissue. It is used with tracheostomy tubes, trocars and cannulas, and in some scopes. In anatomy, "obturator" also names structures near the hip, such as the obturator nerve and the obturator foramen, the large opening in the hip bone.
For the nurse
Keep the tracheostomy obturator taped at the head of the bed (with a spare tube) so the tube can be put back quickly if it comes out. Remove the obturator right after insertion, because the client cannot breathe through the tube while it is in place.
At a glance
| Also written | obturators |
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Related terms
catheter
A thin, flexible tube put into the body to drain fluid out or to put fluid or drugs in.
dilator
An instrument used to stretch or widen an opening, canal or passage in the body.
trocar
A sharp or bladed instrument inside a tube (cannula), used to pierce a body wall and leave the tube in place as a port.