Respiratory Services

We provide patients with mechanical ventilation, oxygen therapy, other types of gas therapies, and administer aerosol drugs. The department assists all Lifeflight patients from the Helipad to the emergency department when they have an artificial airway in place. We also transport mechanically ventilated hospital patients when they leave the intensive care unit, or when patients are transferred to a local hospital.

Education

The department provides vital information to patients for wellness promotion and help them manage diseases or illnesses.

Respiratory Therapies

Respiratory therapies offered through the department include: nebulized medication delivery, intermittent and continuous; postural drainage and percussion; heated humidity/mist therapy; oxygen therapy; incentive spirometry and PEP therapy; heliox administration; and Intermittent Positive Pressure Breathing (IPPB) and Intrapulmonary Percussive Ventilation (IPV).

Diagnostic monitoring

Services within diagnostic monitoring include arterial blood gases (ABGs ) and co-oximetry, and pulse oximetry. The Respiratory Care Department has a separate California Clinical Laboratory License for arterial blood gas analysis (ABGs). The Respiratory Care Department is part of the hospital's Cardiopulmonary Diagnostics Services, which includes:

• Pulmonary Function Testing Laboratory (PFT)
• Bronchoscopy Services
• Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBO)
• EKG
• Stress Testing
• Echocardiology
• EEG
• EMG