Respiratory Therapy Services

Who might need respiratory therapy?

Typical patients of respiratory care therapists suffer from conditions such as: 

• Asthma
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Bronchitis
• Lung cancer
• Stroke
• Drowning accidents
• Heart attacks
• Birth defects
• Emphysema
• Cystic fibrosis
• Sleep apnea

Trauma victims and surgery patients are also treated by respiratory therapists.

What do respiratory therapists do?

In addition to treatment, respiratory care at Cumberland Medical Center also includes education and rehabilitation services, plus diagnostic testing.

There are many other things respiratory therapists do, including:

• Use life support mechanical ventilation for patients who need it
• Administer medications in aerosol form
• Monitor equipment and patients’ responses to therapy
• Obtain blood specimens and analyze them to determine levels of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and other gases
• Maintain artificial airways (tracheostomy or intubation)
• Measure the capacity of patients’ lungs to determine if there is impairment
• Obtain and analyze sputum specimens and chest X-rays
• Interpret data from tests
• Assess vital signs and other indicators of respiratory dysfunction
• Perform stress tests and other studies of the cardiopulmonary system
• Study disorders of people with disruptive sleep patterns
• Conduct rehabilitation activities
• Lead asthma education and smoking cessation programs