The Campbell County Health October 2017 Department Discovery shines a light
on the Campbell County Memorial Hospital
Respiratory Therapy department, located on the second floor of
CCMH.
Respiratory Therapy provides comprehensive care and testing for patients
suffering from breathing disorders caused by heart or lung disease.
Respiratory Therapy and Sleep Center Services Director
Gary Cortez says that his staff of Respiratory Therapists focuses on providing the
highest level of care possible to patients.
“Our staff of highly trained, board credentialed and state licensed
respiratory therapists who provide round the clock respiratory care throughout
the facility to include all ages from newborns through geriatric patients
in a variety of clinical settings while striving to promote our goal of
quality respiratory care with positive patient outcomes,” says Gary.
For those who don’t know, a respiratory therapist is someone who
cares for patients who have trouble breathing—for example, from
a chronic respiratory disease, such as asthma or emphysema. They also
provide emergency care to patients suffering from heart attacks, stroke,
drowning, or shock. Respiratory Therapists earn a college degree in Respiratory
Care and must pass a test given by the National Board for Respiratory
Care to obtain the credentials of a CRT or RRT.
What do respiratory therapists at CCMH spend some of their time doing?
Often, it’s some of the exams below:
- Pulmonary Function Test (PFT), which can be used to help diagnose asthma,
allergies, emphysema (COPD), and other lung disorders.
- Electroencephalogram (EEG), which can play a role in diagnosing brain disorders
such as brain injury, stroke, sleep disorders, or dementia.
- Electrocardiogram (EKG/ECG), which looks for patterns among heartbeats
and rhythms to diagnose various heart conditions.
- Shape Test, which is an exercise test to evaluate shortness of breath.
-
Sleep Study, which is performed in the
Sleep Center, and is specially designed for sleep studies and provides a full range
of diagnostic and treatment for more than 70 different sleep disorders.
The most commonly treated sleep disorders are: snoring, sleep apnea, insomnia,
restless legs syndrome, and shift work disorder. (FYI: The Sleep Center
at Campbell County Health is accredited by the American Academy of Sleep
Medicine (AASM) and is one of only three accredited programs in the state of Wyoming.)
If you didn’t know, October 20-26 is the American Association for
Respiratory Care's
Respiratory Care Week! Please help us celebrate our respiratory therapists, and all that they
do for our patients.
A big round of applause to the Respiratory Therapy crew! Thank you for
helping to keep our patients healthy and happy. You can learn more about
Respiratory Therapy, and the services provided, at
www.cchwyo.org/RT.