Lung expansion therapy is used to prevent or reverse atelectasis, by helping patients achieve and maintain lung function. Untreated atelectasis can cause pulmonary shunting, hypoxemia, and even respiratory failure. Factors associated with the development of atelectasis include prolonged bed rest (especially in the supine position) or immobilization, heavy sedation, surgery or trauma near the diaphragm,… Continue reading Lung Expansion Therapy and Airway Clearance Therapy

The exchange of heat and moisture occurs in the upper respiratory tract, primarily in the nose. The inspired air is filtered, heated, and humidified before moving down through the lungs, in order to achieve the BTPS condition (body temperature, ambient pressure, saturated with water vapor). Unlike the BTPS condition, the normal ISB (isothermic saturation boundary)… Continue reading Understanding Humidification, Medical Gas and Medical Aerosols

There are three main phases of drug action that can be applied to the use of” bronchoactive” inhaled aerosols. The drug administration phase looks at the method of how the drug is given. Aerosol medications are directly inhaled into the respiratory tract through the form of dry powder inhalers (DPI) and aerosol liquid solutions delivered… Continue reading Understanding Airway Pharmacology

 RTs need to be able to recognize lung abnormalities in chest imaging, because they are important tools in diagnosing lung disease in patients. When reading the chest imaging results, the RT must first check that the film is correctly labeled, to ensure that the correct patient is being evaluated. The quality of the actual film… Continue reading Chest Imaging in Respiratory Care