Respiratory Care

Mission:

"Caring for our community's health".   Respiratory Care achieves this mission by working with our medical staff, nursing staff and other ancillary departments to provide each patient with the best current practices and the most cost effective and up to date respiratory therapy.  The respiratory department uses modern equipment along with well trained staff to provide patients with optimal care.  Our respiratory staff assesses each patient for their respiratory needs and along with using protocols and working with our physician's, we optimize your therapy to provide quality patient outcomes.

Goals:

• Effective communication as a team player
• Exceeding expectations of our patients, families, visitors, colleagues
• Obtaining feedback
• Problem solving
• Developing trust by being professional and compassionate

Philosophy: Our philosophy is to work side by side with physicians, nurses and the patient to provide you with the best possible care and successful recovery.

Services: The respiratory department provides both inpatient and outpatient services, which include:

• Pulmonary Function Testing (PFT) - Measures your lung volumes and air flows       
• 24 Hour Holter Monitor Testing - Measures your heart rhythm over a 24 hour period
• 30 Day Event Monitor Testing - Measures your heart rhythm over a 30 day period
• Cardiac Impedance Testing - Measures your cardiac output along with
• Arterial Blood Gas (ABG) Testing - Measures your blood oxygen and carbon dioxide levels
• Pulse Oximetry Testing - Measures your blood oxygen saturation level
• Bronchodilator Therapy - Medicated breathing treatments for your lungs
• CPAP/BIPAP/NPPV Therapy - Positive pressure breathing devices for obstructive sleep apnea / respiratory failure
• Ventilator Care - Used on our critically ill patients to assist them with breathing
• Lung Recruitment Therapy -Therapy used to reopen closed microscopic airways

CPAP / BiPAP Patients:

If you are planning an overnight stay at our hospital you may bring your CPAP mask, hose and headgear from home.  We require that you use our CPAP/BiPAP machine while in the hospital.  Our machines have monitoring capabilities to allow us to provide safe accurate care to our patients during there stay.

"It's Time to Quit Smoking!"

Smoking Facts:

Time since last cigarette / healing that occurs:

20 minutes:  Blood pressure, pulse, and temperature return to normal.

8 hours:  Carbon monoxide levels drop.  Oxygen levels increase to normal.

24 hours:  Chance of heart attack begins to decrease.  Nerve endings repair.  Ability to smell and taste is enhanced.

2 weeks-3 months:  Circulation improves.  Walking becomes easier and lung function improves up to 30%.

1-9 months:  Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue and shortness of breath decrease.  Cilia in the lungs regenerate, improving handling of secretions.  Energy increases.

1 year:  Risk of coronary heart disease is 1/2 that of a smoker.

10 years:  Lung cancer death rate corresponds to that of non-smokers.  Precancerous cells are replaced.  Risk of mouth, bladder, throat, kidney and pancreatic cancer decreases.

15 years:  Risk of coronary heart disease equals that of a non-smoker.