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Respiratory Therapists
I just returned from the annual meeting of respiratory therapists (RTs) in San Antonio. RTs are the professionals who traditionally work with pulmonary specialist physicians caring for
hospitalized patients on mechanical ventilators and those needing breathing treatments. However, during the last decade, RTs have expanded their roles to providing a broad spectrum of outpatient
services for patients with many types of lung diseases. A primary care physician can directly ask the RT for help with these services, including pulmonary rehab, smoking cessation, asthma education, spirometry, long-term oxygen therapy, and home monitoring and treatment for sleep apnea.
If you are new to a community and have asthma or COPD and want to know the best pulmonary specialist for your care, I think that a local RT will steer you to the best pulmonologist, based on their experiences with most of the doctors in your new community. RTs are easily found by going to your local hospital and asking for the RT department (often in the basement, because that's where the ventilators were traditionally stored).
Related Topics: COPD Treatment, Asthma May Raise Risk of COPD, Emphysema
hospitalized patients on mechanical ventilators and those needing breathing treatments. However, during the last decade, RTs have expanded their roles to providing a broad spectrum of outpatient
services for patients with many types of lung diseases. A primary care physician can directly ask the RT for help with these services, including pulmonary rehab, smoking cessation, asthma education, spirometry, long-term oxygen therapy, and home monitoring and treatment for sleep apnea.
If you are new to a community and have asthma or COPD and want to know the best pulmonary specialist for your care, I think that a local RT will steer you to the best pulmonologist, based on their experiences with most of the doctors in your new community. RTs are easily found by going to your local hospital and asking for the RT department (often in the basement, because that's where the ventilators were traditionally stored).
Related Topics: COPD Treatment, Asthma May Raise Risk of COPD, Emphysema
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5 Comments:
before coming to webmd i knew i was not alone but knew i needed to educate myself more and did not know were to turn since coming here i have learned more about my asthma and slowly learning about being bp. this place is great
I have a question and I'm not sure if you can answer. On Jan. 1, I was diagnosed with lower lobe pneumonia (left side). If I'm not feeling better after antibiotics, bed rest, and fluids, should I be concerned? Please help.
i plan on becoming a respiratory therapist when i graduate high school in 2009
I need advice from a lung doctor or a RT because my uncle is really ready for trach weaning possibly via a passy-muir system and hopefully a complete decannuilization. Because my grandmother has set up a homecare system for my uncle and no lung doctor is willing to visit my uncle at her house, we cannot get an RT to start normal trach weaning procedures. My grandmother has been turning off the oxygenator and the humidifier connected to his trach for a couple hours a day, allowing my uncle to breath through his nose and through the hole in his throat. While the machines are off, his mouth is closed tightly. Is this an effective therapy at all, or is this activity just increasing the risk of a lung infection?
If you have a comment about this blog post, you are in the right place. However, if you have a question for Dr. Enright, please visit the Asthma message board.
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