Service Directory

Respiratory Care

The ICU is staffed with Respiratory Care

Practitioners 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There is an ICU

“Core” Team that works in the adult intensive care unit as the

primary Respiratory Care Practitioners. The Respiratory Care Practitioners

are certified or registered by the National Board of Respiratory Care and

they are all required to pass the Advanced Cardiac Life Support course.

Aspects of ICU

respiratory care includes the following:

1. Patient Assessment:

Airway

Breathing

Circulation

2. Mechanical Ventilator Management:

Assessing the patient by:

Monitoring the patient’s airway pressure, compliance and

oxygenation.

Measurement of pulmonary mechanics

Monitoring volumes and flows

Monitoring acid base balance

Weaning parameters

3. Invasive Hemodynamics and monitoring

Assist

physicians with arterial and Swan-Ganz catheter insertions

Monitoring blood pressure

Cardiac output measurements

Calibrate pressure transducers

4. Airway Management

Assist

physician with intubation

Perform and/or assist nursing staff with extubation

5. Evaluation of Oxygenation (Hemodynamic

Profile):

Oxygen

consumption

Oxygen transport

Percent arteriovenous shunt

6. Pulse Oximetry

7. Capnography

8. Treatment Modalities:

Give

aerosolized medication

Volume expansion

Intermittent Positive Pressure

Breathing

Incentive Spirometry

Deep breathing and coughing

Chest physical therapy

Nasotracheal suctioning

Endotracheal suctioning

Aerosol and humidity

9. Oxygen Therapy

10. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure

(CPAP)

11. Bi-Level Positive Airway Pressure (Bipap)

12. Diagnostics:

Electrocardiogram

Arterial Blood Gases

Pulmonary Function Test (PFT or Spirometry)

Sputum Induction

Lab draws from invasive lines

13. Clinical Instructors

14. Respiratory Care by Protocols

        

Post-operative cardiac surgery

                

ventilatorprotocol

         Mechanical

ventilation with Albuterol

                

protocol

          Basic

Respiratory Care Protocols

Respiratory

Care Home

 

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