Respiratory therapy

Respiratory therapy is a specialized healthcare profession that involves the evaluation, treatment, management and care of patients with breathing or other cardiopulmonary disorders. Practitioners are known as respiratory therapists.

Overview

Respiratory therapists work under the medical direction of doctors to provide a wide range of therapeutic and diagnostic services to patients. They are an integral part of the hospital team, which most frequently includes doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals.

Education and Training

In the United States, a respiratory therapist is a licensed healthcare professional who has earned at least an associate degree from a respiratory therapy program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) or the Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC).

Roles and Responsibilities

Respiratory therapists care for patients who have trouble breathing—for example, from a chronic respiratory disease, such as asthma or emphysema. Their patients range from premature infants with undeveloped lungs to elderly patients who have diseased lungs. They also provide emergency care to patients suffering from heart attacks, drowning, or shock.

Techniques and Procedures

Respiratory therapists perform procedures that are both diagnostic and therapeutic. Diagnostic procedures include spirometry, which measures the volume and speed of air that can be inhaled and exhaled, and arterial blood gas analysis, which measures the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in a patient's blood. Therapeutic procedures include administering oxygen, performing chest physiotherapy, and teaching patients how to use medications and equipment to manage respiratory problems.

See Also

• Pulmonology
• Intensive care medicine
• Sleep medicine