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Working closely with pulmonologists and other physicians, the respiratory therapists at Saint Vincent diagnose and treat conditions associated with the respiratory system. The diagnostic tests they perform include pulmonary function, blood gases or oximetry. These tests are used to determine whether lung function has been affected and, if so, to provide a precise measurement of the degree of impairment.

Respiratory therapy may consist of aerosolized bronchodilators, metered-dose inhaler training, oxygen therapy and percussion/postural drainage. Therapists also provide mechanical ventilation and monitoring of patients in critical care areas.

Therapists are also involved in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disturbances caused by particular upper airway problems detected in the Sleep Center. Services are available for patients of all ages upon referral by a primary care physician.

Did You Know?

• At rest, lungs take in about half a quart of air each time you take a breath. While you are strenuously exercising, however, your lungs can expand to hold six or seven quarts of air.
• Our lungs are lined with clusters of air-filled sacs called alveoli, some 300 million of them! If spread flat, their surface area would be 750 square feet.
• Smokers have a two to three times greater risk of facial wrinkling than non-smokers, according to a new study of more than 1,000 men and women. These effects are usually not evident until after age 39.