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Services
The Respiratory Therapy Department provides diagnostic and treatment services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They are very active with protocols, some resulting in a reduction in the number of days a patient spends on a ventilator or receives treatments and/or oxygen. The respiratory therapists are part of the hospital's Rapid Response Team which has been successful with reducing unnecessary admissions to the critical care unit. Other services provided, but not limited to, include the following:
- Pulmonary function studies
- Arterial blood gas analysis
- Pulse oximetry
- Bronchopulmonary hygiene
- Aerosol medications
- Pulmonary rehabilitation and education
- Smoking cessation classes
Respiratory Therapy Consults
Parkwest offers respiratory consultations on everything from quitting smoking to healing from pneumonia. Our respiratory therapists are trained in assessing problems, developing care plans and educating patients. Our consultation service is designed to improve the efficiency of care for our hospital patients. Respiratory Therapy Consultations are offered every day from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Bronchoscopy: A tiny camera in the lungs
One of the latest procedures at Parkwest is bronchoscopy. It's a big word for a tiny camera that goes on the end of a tube inserted into the lungs.
Bronchoscopy gives a view of the airways - thanks to the flexible tube, which passes through the nose and vocal cords. This scope allows doctors to collect biopsies, or tissue specimens to be sent to the lab. If a patient has pneumonia, the scope also can remove secretions to clear the lungs.
Detective work
Doctors also use the little camera to sleuth for abnormalities indicated by a mysterious chronic cough, lung mass or abnormal chest X-Ray or CT scan.
The patient is then taken to a monitored room for at least two hours. One can learn the testing results of some samples within 24 to 48 hours.
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