Monday's class: My response to your queries

Before I went on vacation I wrote a post responding to ten Google and Yahoo searches that linked someone to my site.

The reason I did this is because I know that 62 percent of those who click on my site stay here for less than five seconds and, in many cases, if they'd have just hung around a bit in the RT Cave they would have found the answer they were looking for.

So, with that in mind, here are my honest and not politically correct responses to all your queries. While some queries are so goofy they may lead to a facetious response by me, I will be completely serious when the question is a respectable one. I promise.

1. Respiratory therapy inserting catheters: God, I hope it never comes to that.
   
2. I hate respiratory: Why is it that this keeps coming up? I wonder how much time this person spent on my blog.
   
3. Signs a person might need to use an inhaler: You can do so by using a peek flow meter or by knowing the signs of an impending asthma attack. Another great place to find information about asthma is asthma mom, and National Jewish Medical and Research Center. The later hospital and a research center that specializes in pulmonary diseases. I know three people who spent time their for their asthma. It's an excellent place.
   
4. How to know when an asthma attack is occurring: See question #3.
   
5. What is it like being a respiratory therapist?: The best way to find the answer to this question is to check out what the RT bloggers have to say. It's a great job where you get to meet many wonderful people in need of help with their breathing. Some will need a simple breathing treatment, and others more intense therapy. The greatest parts of being an RT, in my opinion, is being part of a great team. We work together with Drs and RNs to the benefit of the patient. As with any job where you work with people, it can be very challenging at times -- yet rewarding too. This could be an idea for a future post. Stay tuned.
   
6. I'm sick with a cold in my chest bronchospasms: Sounds like you should go see your physician, or get one if you don't have one.
   
7. When to intubate: Here is a good link to check out. Cardiopulmonary arrest is an obvious indication for intubation. And during surgery patients are often intubated to keep them alive during the operation. Other times it's mostly a judgemental call made by the doctor and the care team, which includes us RTs. Here are some other indications: Ventilatory and Oxygen failure that might occur with asthma, COPD or pneumonia; to protect the airway of a comatose patient or patient who has lost his gag reflex; signs of impending failure where the airway will need to be secure, such as a trauma or burn patient.
   
8. Holter wheeze: You lost me.
   
9. What kinds of potassium does nursing homes give patients: I have no clue why this query was linked to my sight. I would have to refer you to one of my fellow RN medblogs for this. Check out the links to the right.
   
10. Can a peak flow meter be used for anything else: They are typically beneficial and helpful for helping asthma patients. Other than that, I suppose you could experiment. You could use it as a cool children's toy. You could have a competition during the last day of school to see who can blow the highest number. The winner gets a lolly pop.

That concluses this session.