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Show pih:;l:' : inn i a MT n n n nrr in niwuiniiri-- 1 1 ' '''fc-1-'''' RESPIRATORY THERAPY By TOM BLSSELBERG BOUNTIFUL - If a patient pa-tient rushed to Lakeview Hospital's Hos-pital's emergency room needs cardiopulmonary resuscitation resuscita-tion it will probably be administered admi-nistered by a respiratory therapist. ther-apist. JUST AS respiration means having to do with the act of breathing, in an elementary sense, a respiratory therapist may be called into action almost anywhere in the hospital hospit-al to deal with a related problem. "No day is routine," says Brent McDonald, supervisor of the nine RT staff members. "A respiratory therapist performs per-forms all procedures therapy ther-apy with the cardiopulmonary system, from routine care for the post-operative patient to preventive care for pneumonia "WE COVER the whole hospital. We may be in the emergency room on a trauma case working with patients on CPR arrests to overdose patients pa-tients or in the intensive care unit working with those on mechanical ventilation or in the newborn unit." he says. "Physical therapy works with those needing physical rehabilitation, re-habilitation, x-ray with those needing x-rays and the lab with all patients but not on a direct patient contact basis," he says. "WE'RE DIRECTLY responsible re-sponsible for life-saving procedures proce-dures during cardiac arrests, etc.," he emphasizes. One area many can relate respiratory re-spiratory therapy to is operation opera-tion of the so-called breathing machines used to keep a comatose com-atose patient alive. Such equipment is operated by the RT department, Mr. McDonald McDo-nald says. A RELATIVELY new field, the field has developed within the last 10 years, the 1976 graduate gra-duate says. "Five years ago when I got out of school I thought I knew everything there was to know about the field. We were never taught any of this (current activities)." activi-ties)." The ever-changing field requires re-quires constant updating for staff with in-service training provided several times a month under the direction of Dr. Robert Crepo, director of the LDS Hospital pulmonary department who acts as a consultant con-sultant at Lakeview, Mr. McDonald says. COLLEGE TRAINING has been increased from two to three years with about another year of additional training re-quired re-quired before the RT-technician RT-technician status can be achieved. And efforts are moving mov-ing forward to certify technicians techni-cians as is done with medical technologists and other areas. "Where respiratory therapy deals so much with trauma, etc., it is really difficult to let someone 'just come off the street' and do this," like someone some-one might think, he emphasized. empha-sized. "I FEEL there's a shortage (of RT personnel)," he said, although graduates have doubled dou-bled over several years ago," with about 30 graduates from area schools recently. Explaining some of the procedures pro-cedures done by RT staff he said therapists may use equipment equip-ment connected to a premature baby to tell breathing-related progress. "Just as too much oxygen can cause blindness, too little can cause brain damage," dam-age," he said, indicating monitors moni-tors can quickly identify problems. prob-lems. A PREVENTIVE program plays a major role in respira- Brent McDonald demonstrates use of machine that can provide body data based on breath readings used by respiratory therapists at Lakeview Hospital. tory therapy, he said, indicating indicat-ing his staff administers stress tests under physician supervision. supervi-sion. That test can help a patient determine his breathing capacity, capac-ity, endurance level with equipment available indicating what the level should be for a patient of a given age and height. NEXT YEAR will bring implementation im-plementation of a cardiac rehabilitation re-habilitation program combined com-bined with physical therapy and nursing for heart attack victims, he said. |
