Respiratory therapists treat patients with chronic asthma, emphysema, or other lung diseases, and provide temporary relief and emergency care to victims of heart attacks, stroke, drowning, or shock. Their patients range from premature infants whose lungs are not fully developed to people whose lungs are diseased.
Respiratory therapists work alongside physicians, helping them diagnose and treat patients. To assess patients’ breathing, therapists ask them to breathe into machines that measures the size of their lungs and the amount of air in them. These readings, along with variables such as the sex, age, height, and weight of the patients, can help therapists diagnose whether or not patients have breathing disorders.
Therapists may also take blood samples from patients to analyze the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide in their blood. To do this, they take an arterial blood sample from the patient, place it in a blood gas analyzer, and relay the results to a doctor.
Respiratory therapists use a variety of methods to treat patients. To deliver oxygen to patients who cannot breathe on their own, they can either use oxygen masks or insert small tubes into the patients’ noses. They also use chest physiotherapy and aerosol medications to treat patients.
Therapists sometimes have to connect patients to ventilators that send pressurized air into their lungs. To connect a patient to a ventilator, a tube is inserted down the patient’s windpipe so that oxygen can be sent directly into the lungs.
Other responsibilities include monitoring respiratory equipment, observing and assessing patients’ conditions, and recommending changes in treatment. Respiratory therapists record all relevant information in medical charts, and brief physicians on patients' progress. In addition, they educate patients on how to deal with their respiratory problems at home.
Making sure that respiratory patients understand their illnesses and know how to deal with them on a day-to-day basis is important. It is also necessary to relieve any fears that patients might have. Respiratory therapists may also instruct family and friends of patients on how to deal with emergencies or use breathing equipment at home.
NOC Code: 3214.1