Respiratory Therapy Flashcards
What is respiratory therapy?
A form of therapy that focuses on your lungs and your ability to adequately breathe
What is the overall goal/purpose of a respiratory therapist?
Help patients breathe oxygen; teach patients about specific diseases; educate patients on different prevention methods; discuss treatment options
What are the two careers of respiratory therapy?
Certified Respiratory Therapist or Registered Respiratory Therapist
Differences between two types of respiratory therapists?
Registered respiratory therapists are a little more advanced in their knowledge; they have taken an additional exam, may have taken more classes, practiced more respiratory pathway
Similarities between two types of respiratory therapists?
Both have to attend a two or four year program that’s approved by the COARC; both have to take and pass a state board
What are the different types of tests or procedures performed by respiratory therapists?
1) arterial blood gas test: (draw blood from artery) assess the level of oxygen in the blood
2) pulmonary function test: determines lung volume/function
3) pulse oximetry: uses infrared technology to measure oxygen carrying capability in your blood
4) auscultation: listen to the lungs with a stethoscope
What is the purpose of respiratory therapy tests?
Used to help diagnose lung diseases and conditions
Hazards of too much oxygen?
Oxygen toxicity, atelectasis
Signs and Symptoms of oxygen toxicity?
Patient is awake, complains of sore throat, complains of difficulty breathing, may exhibit cough, complain of chest hurting
Atelectasis
Lung has collapsed because excessive oxygen has consumed the cell and prohibited nitrogen from entering alveoli
Apnea
Absence of breathing
Dyspnea
Labored, difficulty breathing
Tachypnea
Fast breathing
Bradypnea
Slow breathing
What’s the normal respiration rate per minute for an adult?
12-24
How to document pulse oximetry for vital signs?
SpO2
What are the two reasons to put a patient on a ventilator?
patient is not breathing (respiratory arrest), all other measures have failed
Respiratory diseases
1) Bronchitis: inflammation of the bronchioles
2) Asthma: constriction of the bronchioles
3) Emphysema: alveoli lose elasticity and deteriorate
4) COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease): any chronic lung condition
5) Influenza: viral infection that affects respiratory system
6) Pneumonia: build up of exudate/fluid/mucus
What can be diagnosed by PFT (pulmonary function test)?
COPD and Emphysema
Two ways to give oxygen to a person
1) Mask: 35%- 50% O2
2) Nasal Cannula: 6L per minute of O2
Aerosol types of medications that can be given?
1) Nasal decongestant: causes vasoconstriction
2) Anti-asthmatic: decreases allergen response
3) Corticosteroids: decrease inflammation
4) Bronchodilators: open bronchioles/airways
5) Mucolytics: break up mucus/thin secretions
Advantages of aerosol therapy
Quick, effective, easy, convenient, decrease side effects
Disadvantages of aerosol therapy
Difficult to get the right dose, difficult to educate the patient especially if they have a tremor, sometimes the care providers themselves don’t know how to use it
What is the most commonly prescribed aerosol therapy?
Inhaler
What is the most commonly prescribed hyperinflation therapy?
Incentive spirometer
Who needs hyperinflation therapy?
Bedridden, chest surgery, neuromuscular disease patients, spinal cord injury patients, chronic lung disease patients
