RESPIRATORY SERVICES

The Respiratory Services component of our healthcare team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our goal is to provide high quality respiratory care in cooperation with our medical and nursing staff while assuring continuum of care and improved quality of life. Respiratory Services is an integral part of the teams that respond to cardiac arrests, high-risk deliveries and rapid response to potentially life threatening situations throughout the hospital. Along with these emergent conditions, we are involved in a number of routine treatment protocols and diagnostic activities, including:

Respiratory Protocol
An overall treatment protocol done in cooperation with your physician, Respiratory Protocol allows our staff to personalize your treatment regimen to fit your medical needs and lifestyle. Our goals are to speed your recovery and help you in making the transition from hospital to home.

Ventilator Protocol
In the event that you require a machine to sustain your life for a period of time, Ventilator Protocol allows your physician and the therapist to manage your care more efficiently and possibly reduce the length of time that you may require this support.

Pulmonary Function Testing (PFT)
This is generally an outpatient service that allows us to accurately measure the volume of air that you are able to move, along with how well the air flows into and out of your lungs. These measurements greatly aid your physician in diagnosing the breathing problems that you are experiencing and determining the most effective treatment approach.

Arterial Blood Gases (ABGs)
This blood test tells your physician and the therapist how well you are breathing by measuring some of the metabolic and respiratory functions of the body. ABGs accurately measure the concentrations of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the arterial blood as well as the pH.

Pulse Oximetry
This simple and painless test measures the amount of oxygen in your blood. Pulse oximetry is used frequently to continuosly monitor breathing during serious illness and procedures requiring sedation. Because pulse oximetry provides limited information, it must often be supplemented with ABGs.

Cooximetry
This test accurately measures the different types of hemoglobin in the blood, which most often carries life giving oxygen. The most common life threatening variant of hemoglobin is carboxy-hemoglobin, which is hemoglobin saturated with carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is a common poison that is found in vehicle exhaust and homes with faulty heating systems. It deprives the body of oxygen.

Patient Education
Our goal is for patients to gain ownership of their disease and treatment regimens with the least disruption in their daily lives. We encourage patients to guide their own destinies - the more a patient is personally involved, the better the progress. Whenever possible, we encourage family members to be involved in education, thus providing a strong foundation for understanding and support.