Bree Edwards
October 12, 2015
Respiratory Therapy 210
What Does a Respiratory Therapist Do?
Respiratory therapists are important health care professionals who provide care for patients with acute and chronic abnormal cardiopulmonary systems. They are educated and trained professionals who focus on providing quality respiratory care to patients. Almost seventy five percent of respiratory therapists work in a hospital setting while the other twenty five percent work in clinics, sleep study research and skilled nursing facilities. The main goal of a respiratory therapist is to deliver appropriate care of a patient by helping treat or identify the problem in order to assist the patient in reversing or helping with their illness or condition. …show more content…
If a patient is mildly hypoxic a respiratory therapist might choose to administer oxygen through a nasal cannula or simple mask. If the patient is severely hypoxic they might choose to administer oxygen through a high flow device like a venturi mask or a non rebreather. It is the respiratory therapists job to check the saturation levels of a patient to keep track if the oxygen protocol is working by keeping the saturation levels around 92-100. In some cases the respiratory therapist will need to administer a humidifier to help comfort the patient while they are receiving oxygen. Since oxygen is a dry gas it sometimes makes the persons nose or airway become dry and …show more content…
The therapist needs to have the skills and training on different ventilators to understand how the machine works. When a patient is on a ventilator is is important for the therapist to asses the vital signs of the person in order to know if they need to administer any changes. Changes can vary from changing the respiratory rate, tidal volume, or peek inspiratory pressure. The main goal of the respiratory therapist when dealing with an intubated patient is taking the steps to help the patient become
October 12, 2015
Respiratory Therapy 210
What Does a Respiratory Therapist Do?
Respiratory therapists are important health care professionals who provide care for patients with acute and chronic abnormal cardiopulmonary systems. They are educated and trained professionals who focus on providing quality respiratory care to patients. Almost seventy five percent of respiratory therapists work in a hospital setting while the other twenty five percent work in clinics, sleep study research and skilled nursing facilities. The main goal of a respiratory therapist is to deliver appropriate care of a patient by helping treat or identify the problem in order to assist the patient in reversing or helping with their illness or condition. …show more content…
If a patient is mildly hypoxic a respiratory therapist might choose to administer oxygen through a nasal cannula or simple mask. If the patient is severely hypoxic they might choose to administer oxygen through a high flow device like a venturi mask or a non rebreather. It is the respiratory therapists job to check the saturation levels of a patient to keep track if the oxygen protocol is working by keeping the saturation levels around 92-100. In some cases the respiratory therapist will need to administer a humidifier to help comfort the patient while they are receiving oxygen. Since oxygen is a dry gas it sometimes makes the persons nose or airway become dry and …show more content…
The therapist needs to have the skills and training on different ventilators to understand how the machine works. When a patient is on a ventilator is is important for the therapist to asses the vital signs of the person in order to know if they need to administer any changes. Changes can vary from changing the respiratory rate, tidal volume, or peek inspiratory pressure. The main goal of the respiratory therapist when dealing with an intubated patient is taking the steps to help the patient become