Respiratory Therapy A respiratory therapist is someone who literally has the life of her patients in her hands. I have been fortunate this semester in being able to talk with people who chose this career. I even spent some time shadowing them at their job. I have known for a long time that I wanted a career in the health care field. Becoming a respiratory therapist sounded interesting. Now that I

Respiratory Therapist Professions of caring career project: Where Am I Going? Part 2 Interview Why did you decide to work in this field? My grandmother had asthma, so I have always been acutely aware of the importance of the challenges some people experience with the simple act of breathing. Did you have another career before you went to school to become a ____? What was it like to change from one career to another? I

Respiratory Infections Respiratory Conditions Respiratory tract infections are highly infectious diseases that involve the respiratory tract. They are divided into upper (URTI or URI) and lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI or LRI). LRIs include pneumonia, bronchitis and influenza, and they tend to affect patients more seriously that URIs which include the common cold, tonsillitis, sinusitis and laryngitis. This research dwells on four respiratory infections which are bronchitis, bronchial asthma, exercise-induced bronchospasm and

Subtype a is the one that predominates in many of the outbreaks that are seen and presents much more severe clinical illness. It affects both the lower and the upper respiratory tract but is most prevalent in illnesses of the lower respiratory tract such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia. The obstruction of the airway in RSV can be very dangerous, and this is especially true of infants because their peripheral

It has also been suggested that low-level viral replication associated with RSV may be a driver in chronic inflammation in some sufferers of chronic lung disease, although this is so far uncertain (Openshaw, 2005). It is estimated that infants who develop a wheeze as a result of RSV contraction develop a recurring wheeze in around two thirds of all cases. It is also estimated that around half of these children

Methylxanthines Yet another type of medication used to improve respiratory function is Methylxanthines. Some examples of these include Theophylline. These types of agents work similarly to bronchodilators which open the airway passage, in part by relaxing the bronchial or smooth muscles in the air passage ways. They also help promote greater circulation and engage the central nervous system so it can more actively work to provide oxygen throughout the body. Because