Jennifer Ivy Cochran

This level of care includes diagnostics testing, therapeutics, monitoring, rehabilitation of patients with disorders of the cardiopulmonary system, as well as, education of the patient and family in regard to those disorders.

Respiratory emergencies are commonplace in the treatment of critical care patients. Included in the assessment measurements conducted by the respiratory therapist in the critical care settings are arterial blood gas puncture and analysis, intrarterial monitoring, bedside measurements of lung mechanics, hemodynamic monitoring, and inspired and expired gas measurements. This is coupled with the initiation and management of mechanical ventilation patients.

Care of older patients who have age and/or disease related decremental pulmonary changes. Diagnosis and treatment is very important for this group since chronic lung disease is the major cause of morbidity and mortality among them. Furthermore, as this segment of the population increases, life expectancy is being extended.

The immediate availability of diagnostic and therapeutic cardiopulmonary services in the assessment and management of trauma victims, patients requiring airway management and others requiring emergency care.

Source: NUCC, CMS