Respiratory Case Studies

What are the uses of drugs used to treat lower respiratory tract disorders: sympathomimetics, anticholinergics, inhaled steroids, lung surfactants, and mast cell stabilizers?

The following case study is of a 37-year old Hispanic male weighing 145 lbs and 70 inches tall found unconscious by his girlfriend. According to her he was unconscious for about 15 hours and she was concerned because he would not wake or respond and was breathing shallow and slow. She then called 9-1-1. The patient entered the ER by emergency vehicle and on my initial assessment Pt had an altered mental status, was very unresponsive showing symptoms of a possible drug overdose. The girlfriend told the physician the Pt had taken 75 mg of methadone and an unknown amount of Xanex and other amounts of Benzodiazepines. On assessment, the doctor noticed his altered mental status and unconscious status. He had a gag

HPI: Margaret Elliot is a 52-year-old Caucasian female that is presenting with shortness of breath that has recently worsen. Mrs. Elliot states that her problems began 20 years ago when she had bronchitis, which she consistently has 2-3 times a year. She said that her symptoms have been getting worse the last 2.5 month, but have severely worsen over the past three days. She states that it has been restricting her daily activities and has been troubling her while sleeping lying down. She states that her symptoms improve alittle when she takes her medications. She also states that her symptoms worsen when she tries to walk across the room

Respiratory Therapist is a healthcare worker who treats people with breathing problems.Those patients can be premature infants whose lungs are not fully developed and adults and children who have lung diseases such as asthma.This job requires you to have a certification by National board for Respiratory,they also require an associate's degree and some have bachelor's degree.There are approximately 105900 people employed as a Respiratory Therapists.They earn up to 58,670 per year and get paid at least 28.21 per hour.

The respiratory system consists of the lungs and air passages. The system functions to bring in air and extract oxygen and remove carbon dioxide*. The body can hold 4 to 6 minutes worth of oxygen so the respiratory system must work at all times to prevent death. There are multiple parts to the respiratory system for example, the nose has nostrils or nares. It contains a nasal septum which divides the nose into hollow spaces called nasal cavities. The nose filters the air with the mucus produced. Also located in the nose are the olfactory receptors, and nasolacrimal ducts. The sinuses which are resonating chambers of cavities located in the skull. A larger part of the respiratory system is the pharynx also known as the throat. It is located directly behind the nasal area, divided into three parts; nasopharynx(upper portion), Oropharynx(middle portion), Laryngopharynx (lower portion). The larynx also known as the “voice box” located between the trachea and pharynx. Trachea also known as the windpipe extends from the larynx to the center of the chest; its functions to carry air between the pharynx and bronchi. The bronchi function to carry air to the lungs. The right bronchus is more vertical, shorter, and wider compared to the left.Bronchi continue to branch off into smaller bronchioles, the smallest is called terminal bronchioles which deliver air to the alveoli. 500 million alveoli, which have a rich network of capillaries needed for exchange of oxygen and CO2( taken place

Forty-nine states require licensing.In order to take the entry-level examination for certification, which is required by the National Board for Respiratory Care, respiratory students must get at least an associate's degree and a certificate of completion. Respiratory therapists are licensed in all states except Alaska; requirements vary in different states. Many colleges and universities, vocational–technical institutes, and the Armed Forces offer education and training programs. Most programs will award RT’s with an associate’s or bachelor’s degree.All programs have clinical classes that allow therapists to earn credit and gain supervised experience treating patients. According to the American Association for Respiratory Care, there are 381 associate programs throughout the country, 57 bachelor’s degree programs and three master’s programs(home) (business) (explore).

History of Present Illness: Ms. Crouthamel is a very pleasant 76-year-old woman who I saw in April for a COPD and hypoxic respiratory failure. She has had stable symptoms of shortness of breath. She denies any significant cough. She does state that the humid weather can make breathing difficult at times. She remains active by participating in work in her garden on a daily basis. She is on supplemental oxygen 24 hours a day. She does also admit to occasional tobacco use.

Mr. Joseph is a 56-year-old has 30 smoking pack years. He was diagnosed 10 years ago with asthma/chronic bronchitis, arthritis of the knees, and congestive heart failure (CHF). Mr. Joseph weighs 350 pounds with a height of 6 feet, making his body mass index (BMI) of 47.5, much more than the recommended 25, and in fact his BMI places him in the morbid obesity classification. He takes medicines for his pulmonary conditions, along with a diuretic.

I have a registry respiratory therapist who recently resigned from HFMC due to not enough hours. She has worked here at SFH in the past as well as a registry associate. Does she have to fill out an application and go through orientation again? She is interested in our registry position here at SFH.

When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a dentist just like my mom. If you ask me what I would want to be now, I would probably tell you a respiratory therapist. I would want to go into any medical field because I love helping others and seeing others progress in their illness and watching them grow as people. I also would want a job that allows me to have contact with people everyday. In this paper, I will be discussing what a respiratory therapist does on an everyday basis, the salary and job demand, and the classes a respiratory therapist has to take.

The topic you chose is extremely relevant to modern health care and should be taught more to military providers because I believe we are the worst offenders. At one point in my career, I personally witnessed a fellow IDC give treatments for STD upon request and no examination or verbal history. One of your sources covers the use of antibiotics for upper respiratory issues. I believe this article choice and the citation from it make your thesis clear and make the point to the reader. I think you did a fantastic job not only summarizing the articles but also combining with the flow of your paper to validate your point.

The American Association for Respiratory Care is a non-profit organization which provides numerous resources for registered respiratory therapists all over the United States. Membership through the AARC renders an abundance of incentives such as professional development, respiratory care education, social networking opportunities, continuing education programs and much more. The American Association for Respiratory Care truly believes in the cause of respiratory therapy and in the rights of their patients to receive competent respiratory care. Their advocacy team works with local, state and federal governments concerning public policies that affect their patients as well as their profession.

Respiratory therapists (RT) are an important part of the treatment team. They can obtain arterial blood gas samples and check oxygen saturation levels. RT’s administer nebulizer treatments, bronchodilators, and steroids. They monitor and adjust ventilator machines and bi-pap machines according to patient needs. These machines help rid the body of carbon dioxide and provide adequate oxygenation. RT’s can also help provide suctioning as needed and are usually very involved in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Physical therapists (PT) also play a huge role in caring for COPD patients. They can teach them breathing and coughing techniques, and also teach them how to exercise for conditioning and pulmonary rehabilitation.

A 62 years old male who was scheduled for emergency orthotropic liver transplantation because of hepatitis C cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma and end stage liver disease. He had history of remote tonsillar cancer for which he underwent extensive surgical resection including part of his tongue as well as a skin and arterial graft from his left arm to his posterior pharynx. This was followed by radiation therapy which is associated with ongoing hemoptysis. On Examination, he is thin. Examination of his airway was concerning for an extremely limited mouth opening, and very limited neck extension. His thyromental distance also short and his throat was quite woody in that area. He had only 18 mm of inter-incisal mouth opening with muscle spasm.

Just a quick update on Maureen’s progress in hospital. As we discussed by phone, she was admitted from the short-stay unit at the Austin Hospital with a lower respiratory tract infection causing rapid AF and some decompensated cardiac failure. Pleasingly, things did settle down well over a few days at Warringal Hospital and the respiratory viral PCR revealed an RSV virus as the likely culprit for the lower respiratory tract infection. There was no evidence of signifiant consolidation.