Treatments
Aerosolized Medication Therapy
If you have trouble breathing due to a condition like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) or other illness, a respiratory therapist will administer a breathing treatment. This delivers vaporized medication into your lungs to relax the muscles in the airways to make breathing easier. It can also be used to fight infections.
Arterial Blood Gas Puncture
In this procedure, our staff obtains a blood sample from one of your arteries to measure the amount of gases present, such as oxygen and carbon dioxide. It also measures the body’s acid-base (ph) level. This test gives the doctor an idea of how well the your lungs, heart and kidneys are functioning.
Arterial Line Insertion
In this procedure, a thin catheter is inserted into an artery to allow the medical staff to receive accurate blood pressure readings.
Bedside Spirometry
This common test assesses how well your lungs work by measuring how much air is inhaled and exhaled as well as how quickly it is exhaled. A physician can use the information to determine how well you’re responding to medication and to diagnose and evaluate lung disease.
Bronchoscopies
During this procedure, a doctor will insert a bronchoscope, a thin tube with a light and camera, into your nose or mouth, down your throat and into your lungs. This lets the doctor look at your lungs and air passages to diagnose and treat a variety of conditions. The physician can also retrieve tissue samples and remove abnormal tissues and foreign objects.
Electrocardiogram (EKG)
This is an electrical recording of your heart used in the investigation of heart disease.
End Tidal CO2 Monitoring
This type of monitoring gives the medical staff valuable information about how much carbon dioxide you are producing and how well you are clearing it from your lungs when breathing out (ventilation).
Endotracheal Intubations
In this procedure, the medical staff will insert a tube through your mouth down into the trachea (the large airway from the mouth to the lungs). It helps maintain an open airway or serves as a way to administer certain drugs.
High Altitude Studies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
High altitude studies help the physician determine oxygen requirements for a patient whose home is at an elevation of 4,000 feet or higher (where the air is thinner).
Oxygen Therapy
Hypoxia occurs when there isn’t enough oxygen in your blood. Our medical staff administers concentrated oxygen to prevent or treat this condition.
Pulmonary Function Testing
These tests measure lung function and determine how much damage there is in the lungs.
Pulse Oximetry
This test uses a probe called a pulse oximeter, a clip-like device placed on a body part like a finger or ear lobe, to measure how much oxygen is in the blood (oxygen saturation). It’s a painless way to measure oxygen in outlying body parts like arms and legs, so the doctor can determine if you need extra oxygen.
Therapeutics Gases (Nitric Oxide)
When you inhale nitric oxide, it relaxes your smooth muscles and widens blood vessels to improve blood flow to the lungs.
Ventilator Management
If you’re unable to breathe due to respiratory failure, our medical team will place you on a ventilator that breathes for you until you recover.
