Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Laryngectomy supplies: what you need at home and where to get them | CION Cancer Clinics
After a laryngectomy you need a small kit every day, for life: a humidifier cassette, a base plate or tube to hold it, a cover, cleaning tools and a shower shield. The first month usually comes from the hospital. After that you buy from the maker's Indian distributor, from surgical supply shops near large hospitals, or online. This page lists the items, what each does, and how not to run out. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
MI
Medically reviewed by Dr. Mohammed ImaduddinConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS, MS (General Surgery), MCh (Surgical Oncology) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- What will I need at home, and where do I get it?
- What is in a laryngectomy kit?
- Where do I actually buy these in Telangana?
- What can be improvised, and what cannot?
- The names you will see, in plain language
- Four things families say about supplies, and what is actually true
- Common questions about laryngectomy supplies
The short answer
What will I need at home, and where do I get it?
You will need a small kit for the stoma every day, for life: a humidifier cassette, something to hold it on, a tube or button if your team fits one, a cover, a cleaning brush and a shower shield. The first month's supply usually comes from the hospital. After that you buy from the maker's Indian distributor, from surgical supply shops near the large hospitals, or online.
Why the kit matters more than it looks
Before the operation the nose warmed, moistened and filtered every breath. Now air goes straight into the windpipe through the neck. Without a humidifier cassette the lungs dry out, mucus thickens into crusts, and coughing fits and chest infections follow. The kit is the replacement for the nose.
Where people get stuck
The commonest problem is not cost. It is running out. Cassettes are changed every day, base plates every day or two, and a courier can take a week to reach a district town. Families who reorder at half a box never face a night with nothing to put on the stoma.
What your team will decide
Which cassette, which base plate or tube, and whether you need a voice prosthesis kit depends on your stoma, your chest and how you will speak. The speech therapist fits these in the first weeks. Do not change brand or type on your own.
Ask for the written supplies list before you leave hospital, with the exact product names, so the shop or distributor can match it.Item by item
What is in a laryngectomy kit?
Not everyone needs every item. Your team crosses off what does not apply to you.
Humidifier cassette (HME)
A small disc of treated foam that sits over the stoma. It catches warmth and moisture from the breath going out and gives it back to the breath coming in. Changed every day, or sooner if blocked.
Comes in versions for
- Everyday use and for sleep
- Extra moisture in dry or dusty air
- Hands-free speaking with a prosthesis
Base plate or laryngectomy tube
The cassette needs something to clip onto. A base plate is an adhesive ring stuck to the skin around the stoma. A laryngectomy tube or stoma button sits inside the opening and holds it open as well. Your team decides which.
Stoma covers and bibs
A cloth or foam cover worn over the stoma to keep dust and insects out and hide the opening. Cheap, washable, and available from any surgical shop. Not a replacement for the cassette.
Cleaning tools
A soft brush for the tube, tweezers for crusts at the stoma edge, a hand mirror and a small torch. If you have a voice prosthesis, a brush and a flushing bulb for it.
Usually included in the first kit
- Prosthesis brush and flush
- Spare plug for hands-free use
Shower shield
A soft shield worn over the stoma in the bath so water runs off the neck. Water into the stoma goes straight to the lungs, so this is not optional. A cloth cover does not do the same job.
Never bathe in a river, tank or pool with a stoma, with or without a shield.Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistGetting supplied
Where do I actually buy these in Telangana?
The first month comes from the hospital
Most centres send you home with a starter kit and the written list. Check the list against what is in the bag before you leave, and ask what each item is for.
Register with the maker's distributor
The cassettes and base plates on your list are made by one of two international companies, and both sell in India through distributors who courier to any pin code. Your speech therapist has the contact. Registering once means reorders are a phone call.
Use surgical supply shops for the generic items
Covers, bibs, brushes, saline, tweezers and shields are stocked by the surgical supply shops that cluster around large hospitals in Hyderabad. Take the written list. Many will courier to the districts.
Reorder at half a box, not at the last one
Couriers to district towns take days. Keep a spare week's supply in a separate bag in the house and another in the bag you travel with.
Ask about scheme and charity support
Some insurers, employers and charitable trusts help with recurring supplies. The social worker at your centre knows what exists. Ask at the time of the operation, when the paperwork is already open.
Making do
What can be improvised, and what cannot?
Safe to improvise
Do not improvise
A stoma cover from clean cotton cloth or a soft scarf, washed daily
The humidifier cassette. A cloth over the stoma does not warm or moisten the air
A hand mirror and a phone torch for checking the stoma
The laryngectomy tube or button. Only the size your team fitted holds the stoma open safely
Boiled, cooled water with a pinch of salt for softening crusts
Anything put into the stoma to clear it: cotton buds, cloth ends or fingers
Washing and reusing a cloth bib or a tube brush
Washing and reusing a cassette. The foam loses its treatment and traps germs
Leave a number, we will call you
One field. No form to fill in, and no charge for the call.
On the order form
The names you will see, in plain language
- HME
- Heat and moisture exchanger. The humidifier cassette. This is the item you must never run out of.
- Base plate or adhesive
- The sticky ring on the skin that the cassette clips into. Sold in round and oval shapes, and in versions for sensitive skin.
- Lary tube and stoma button
- A soft tube or short button that sits in the stoma to hold it open. Sized by your team. Comes with or without a cassette holder.
- Shower shield or aid
- The cover worn over the stoma for bathing. Different from a cloth cover, and needed every time water is near the neck.
- Provox and Blom-Singer
- The two brand names most often written on the list. Both are sold in India through distributors. Parts from one do not fit the other.
- Prosthesis brush and flush
- Cleaning tools for a voice prosthesis, used daily. Not needed if you do not have a prosthesis.
Commonly believed
Four things families say about supplies, and what is actually true
"A cotton cloth over the hole does the same job as the cassette."
It keeps dust out and hides the opening. It does not warm or moisten the air, which is the cassette's job. People who use cloth alone cough more, make thicker mucus and get more chest infections, especially in the dry months.
"We can wash the cassettes and use them again to save money."
The foam is treated to hold moisture and washing strips that away. A used cassette also holds mucus and germs. If money is tight, ask about the plain everyday version and about scheme or charity help rather than reusing.
"He only needs the cassette when he goes out."
The lungs dry out fastest at night, under a fan or cooler, and at home in dust. Wearing the cassette through the day and a night version to sleep is what stops the crusts and the early morning coughing fits.
"The base plate is not sticking, so the product is faulty."
Usually the skin is oily, sweaty or has a trace of mucus. Clean and dry the skin, warm the plate in the hand, and press for a minute. If it still fails, the shape or size may be wrong for your neck. The speech therapist can refit it.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about laryngectomy supplies
How much do supplies cost each month?
It depends on which cassette and base plate your team chooses, and imported items cost more than covers and brushes from a local shop. This page carries no figure because prices change and differ between distributors. Ask the speech therapist for a rough monthly estimate for your list.
Can I buy HME cassettes at an ordinary medical shop?
Rarely. Cassettes and base plates are specialist items, stocked by the maker's distributor and by a few surgical supply shops near the large hospitals in Hyderabad. Ordinary pharmacies will not have them. Register with the distributor once, and reorder by phone or online.
We live in a district. Can supplies be couriered?
Yes. Distributors and most surgical shops courier to any pin code, but delivery to a district town can take several days. Order when the box is half empty, keep a spare week's supply at home, and note the distributor's number in more than one phone in the family.
What if we run out of cassettes overnight?
Cover the stoma with a clean, damp cotton cloth or a wet gauze, and keep the room air moist with a bowl of water or a steam kettle nearby. Drink plenty. This is a one-night measure, not a way to manage. Reorder in the morning and keep a spare packet from then on.
Does insurance or Aarogyasri pay for supplies?
Usually not for ongoing monthly supplies, which most policies treat as consumables. The first kit is often part of the operation package. Ask your insurer in writing, ask the scheme desk, and ask the social worker at your centre about charitable help.
Can I use a different brand if it is cheaper?
Sometimes, but not on your own. Parts from the two main makers do not fit each other, and a tube or button must be the size your team fitted. Ask the speech therapist to check the alternative first. Cloth covers, bibs, brushes and saline can be any brand.
How do I keep the stoma safe while bathing?
Wear a shower shield every time, keep the water below the neck, and use a mug or hand shower rather than a bucket poured from above. Water entering the stoma goes straight to the lungs. Rivers, tanks and swimming pools are not safe with a stoma at all.
Who do I ask when something on the list is unclear?
The speech therapist or the stoma nurse at the centre where you were treated. They fit the items and can refit them if the skin is sore or the plate will not stick. If you cannot reach them, the helpline will connect you. Do not swap items on the advice of the shop alone.
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Sources
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Laryngeal cancer
- Cancer Research UK — Laryngeal cancer
- American Cancer Society — Laryngeal and Hypopharyngeal Cancer
- NHS — Laryngeal (larynx) cancer
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Humidification and Why It MattersWhy the cassette is the one item you cannot skipDaily Stoma Care After LaryngectomyHow the kit is used, morning and nightBathing, Water and Drowning Risk With a StomaWhy the shower shield is not optionalLaryngectomy Cost in HyderabadThe operation bill and the costs that follow itLaryngectomyThe whole cluster, from the operation to recovery
Talk to us
Not sure what is on your supplies list?
Tell us what you were sent home with and where you live. We will help you reach the speech therapist or stoma nurse who can check it. One helpline serves every CION centre.