Well, the first hurdle for the health care reform bill has been jumped. Now, it's more debate, more revisions and more scrutiny. Whether you are for or against the bill, I think you'll agree with me that it's time to do something.

The American health care system is broken. The system is not really a system at all. The term system would imply multiple parts of a bigger piece all work together ...

In times past, people never received information about diseases or explanations about treatment modalities.  We went to the doctor with a backache, received a prescription, and just went home and took the pills. We always trusted our doctor and most of the time never posed the question: why?

Now, we know that treatments are much better accepted when ...

I started this wonderful and exciting week with a visit to the RT Students at Victor Valley College, Victorville, CA. I presented what ...

"You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own.  And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go."

- Oh, The Places You'll Go!
Dr. Seuss

My first day at work was complete with nervousness, jitters, and excitement. I had met some of my coordinators during the interview process ...

Not everyone enjoys coming to work during the holiday season, but some warm touches around the department can make working a little bit more enjoyable. Every department should have holiday parties of some sort, both on ...

I have pursued continuing education all my life. I graduated with my BA this past September. I regularly read many journals and bulletin boards about sleep. I forget sometimes that not everyone has this unending drive to learn more.

This was evident when I gave a booklet to my techs that would give them 3 CEUs to help meet the 10 required yearly. I left a note with the book asking that it be completed and ...

Every veteran is a hero. Whether it is the vet who signed up for the college money or the careerist, each veteran has done his or her part to assure us of the freedoms we so proudly display. Even those freedoms many do not agree with are kept safe by these brave men and women. At a moment's notice, these folks can end up in the heat of combat or just guarding a post somewhere most would never travel to.

So ...

A lot of patients who think they can't receive H1N1, seasonal influenza, or other vaccines; can. That's the kicker of new practice parameters on adverse reactions to vaccines released by a joint task force of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology at the ACAAI's annual meeting in Miami Beach.

The new parameters aim to correct common ...

 Yes, many of you have been wondering about the fears and outcomes of the H1N1 vaccines and what to expect.  I can tell you first hand after seeing more than 2,200 H1N1 vaccines given here what to expect.

First, the vaccine comes in the live virus nasal mist version and the dead virus injection version. As of this writing over 2,200 vaccines of combination have been given without any side effects.

I ...

I recently spoke with on NBC 10's dramatic reality weight-loss program, The Biggest Loser. His facility, Advanced Sleep Medicine Services, is the show's official provider for sleep testing.

Many contestants come in weighing 350 or 400 pounds with sleep studies revealing an apnea-hypopnea ...

In our last e-newsletter, I included a link to download another patient handout on Sleep Testing in Your Own Bed (pdf)  in place of the link to this handout. It's one of ten great patient resources in our growing ...

West Virginia's lack of sleep, about double the national rate, might be a side-effect of health problems like obesity, experts reported. One in five West Virginians reported they did not get a single good night's sleep during the previous month. ...

In the future, therapists might also want to evaluate the patient for neurotic tendencies ...

Although we are needed for so many things, we usually end up in a broom closet-sized office somewhere at the end of a hallway located at the furthest point from our patients. We are tasked to do things ...

If you're anything like me, you enjoy a good trauma case or a code. Helping patients with breathing treatments, O2 rounds, ambulation, etc. are all great things-- but there's nothing like the rush you get from an emergent situation.

There are so many factors that go into each individual code situation; sometimes it's hard to keep up. In this blog, I'm going to ...

White noise machines and other similar products are recommended by doctors for baby sleep problems, by mothers for their children, by professional people for their offices, and by restless sleepers. We are less ...

The kids were attentive, despite a small class size and several boxes of pizza that were waiting for them once I left. While they were licking their chops, I explained to them the types of ...

Respiratory Care Week is the time of year when we get honored for all we contribute to the world of health care. In our pediatric hospital, we tend to have a fun week. From a brownie sundae night, to a smoothie pitch-in, and a Hawaiian themed luau, we celebrated the week in style last year. On Monday, we had a chili cook-off that rivals those in Texas for the strength of the competition.

We also get a gift ...

Due to unexpected issues, I had beds booked ...

While polysomnographers center much of their attention to detecting sleep apnea, especially among more rotund patients, increased duties sometimes center on prevention of other diseases.

For example, an inadequate amount of nightly sleep on a recurring basis may help fuel the development of diabetes, according to the results of a study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

That ...

Recession has done some serious damage to the industry, causing patients to put off  treatments leading to layoffs of staff in some locations and creating credit crunches that have forced some facilities ...

We are all born ordinary. We're all genetically the same, more or less. However, not everyone's intentions and drive are the same.

When I was nearing the end of my stay as a respiratory student at Laurel Business ...

We all know that our profession can and is very stressful at times.  This Respiratory Care Week, you might want to give your staff the Respiratory Care Survival Kit:

RESPIRATORY CARE SURVIVAL KIT

1 Lifesaver - to thank you for the lives you save every day

1 Paper clip - to help you hold things together

1 Tootsie roll - to remind you of the important ...

A colleague of mine made these predictions:

In the year 2025:
 
Small volume nebs will no longer be given due to increased risk of infection from air-born diseases. DPI takes the lead with MDI following.
 
Ventilators will have biofeedback from the ...

The one thing we created that worked out great for our department was a "hurricane cart."  This was a large, tall crash cart that was stocked with hand-helds, cannulas, masks, regulators, ...