Rhonchi

RTs in politics!

Flott to run for House seat
Respiratory therapist Darren Flott announced that he’s making another bid to represent District 98 in the Alabama House of Representatives.

Flott, 40, ran for the position in 2002, losing to the longtime incumbent in a runoff.

The candidate, who said he lives in Eight Mile, is director of the respiratory therapy and cardiopulmonary departments at Atmore Community Hospital/Baptist Healthcare .

In my quest to find RT mentioning blogs I found this December webMD post about Respiratory Therapists. I like the bit about RT being in the basement. That was true of several hospitals I worked at, but by no means all.

If you are new to a community and have asthma or COPD and want to know the best pulmonary specialist for your care, I think that a local RT will steer you to the best pulmonologist, based on their experiences with most of the doctors in your new community. RTs are easily found by going to your local hospital and asking for the RT department (often in the basement, because that’s where the ventilators were traditionally stored).

Main WebMD link.

If passed, will pays less for home O2…

WHSV | One Act, One Less Breath
An act of Congress could take many people’s breath away, literally. A section of the “Deficit Reduction Act of 2005” will force patients who are on home oxygen to foot more of the bill. Currently, Medicare pays for the machine, supplies, and maintenance of the tanks; but the bill will stop the coverage after three years. This leaves many wondering what they would do without it.

“If I didn’t have it I’d be laying out on the floor passed out waiting for someone to find me which may never happen,” said Linda Kidd of Harrisonburg.

Linda Kidd has been depending on an at home oxygen tank for more than 10 years. Medicare covers the cost now but not if a new bill come through Congress.

Vitamin D Linked To Improved Pulmonary Function

Vitamin D Linked To Improved Pulmonary Function
Posted on: 01/06/2006AUCKLAND, New Zealand–Higher blood levels of vitamin D are associated with improved lung function, according to a study published in Chest

I am creating a list of RCP / RRT / CRTT bloggers. There’s nobody on the list at the moment except for me, and I barely count since I’ve not practiced in a decade. But I’m looking forward to hearing from other RT bloggers!

Vail Daily News for Vail and Beaver Creek Colorado – News

In Denver, a respiratory therapist suggested a blood test. A positive result would explain everything. And what if it is? Canada wanted to know. What is the cure?”There is no cure,” replied the therapist. “Only a lung transplant.”

Dean Canada is among an estimated 100,000 Americans who were dealt a pair of bad cards, two corrupted genes that produce a condition called Alpha One Antitrypsen Deficiency.

This disorder causes the livers of its victims to work improperly. The liver prevents the release of a protein needed for healthy functioning of the lungs. Most victims begin suffering when they are 39 or 40.

More at http://www.alphaone.org/

Inside Bay Area – San Mateo County Times – Local News
It’s called a hyperbaric chamber and it outputs oxygen at much higher pressure than what we normally breath. Eden is the only Sutter health care facility with such a chamber, and according to staff at Eden, it has improved the health of many.

High concentrations of oxygen help keep oxygen-starved tissues alive. It is used to treat more than a dozen illnesses including carbon monoxide poisoning, decompression sickness, severe anemia, sports injuries and stubborn wounds. Advocates of alternative healing believe the chamber is also useful for brain healing in dementia, cerebral palsy, stroke and Lyme Disease patients.