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Tuesday, November 4, 2008

My answers to your RT queries

Every week I check my statcounter to see who's typing things into Google or Yahoo and being linked to my RT Cave blog. Assuming the queries were not answered, I provide in this spot each week my humble responses.

And, hey, if the query is comical, it deserves a comical response. If it's serious, I treat it as serious. That in mind, here are this weeks queries:

1. will singulair relax my breathing?: Singulair is a medicine that blocks the release of Leukotreins which prevents a response to allergens. It's an anti-allergy medicine

2. what does a copd non retainer mean: I imagine it would mean a COPD patient is not a retainer.

3. why are alveoli good at their job? Because they have a permeable membrane. Since there is less CO2 in the alveoli than in the blood, the CO2 jumps out of the blood stream and into the Alveoli. Since there is more oxygen in the Alveoli than in the bloodstream, it jumps out of the alveoli into the bloodstream. In this way, fresh oxygen is taken to the tissues, and the patient exhales CO2.

4. why does ventolin increase potassium levels: Why? According to Wikipedia, "Ventolin...promotes movement of K into cells, lowering the blood levels (of potassium)." I'll have a more thorough answer on this in Wednesday's post.

5. beer asthma: It must be known that beer dries out your lungs. Dry lungs can cause asthma or exacerbate it. So, be careful when drinking. Or, at least have this in the back of your mind if you have asthma.

6. ventolin use in chf: Ventolin is a bronchodilator. CHF is fluid outside of the bronchioles, and therefore ventolin will not be beneficial to CHF patients unless there is an underlying bronchospasm component. (COPD/CHF for example).

7. from respiratory therapist to doctor: I actually think the experience obtained as an RT would greatly benefit a doctor. I think RTs would make good doctors.

8. do respiratory therapist ever have to clean wipe up mucus: You don't HAVE to clean the mucus, but you do help get it out of some patients when needed.

9. chf patient ventolin use: Again, if there is no underlying bronchospasm component, Ventolin does nothing for CHF. However, doctors still like to order it for CHF because it makes them feel like they are doing something.

10. lung sounds like bubbles: Usually this means fluid or secretions in the lungs. This is usually referred to as coarse crackles.

Now, if you guys and gals have any further questions for me, serious or not, let me know and I well try to answer them for you. If I don't know the answer, I will seek out a sagacious RT who does, or maybe even a doctor.

You can email me at freadom1776@yahoo.com, or write a comment below.

3 comments:

Mad Asthmatic said...

Hiya, just a query in regard to Singulair. Why does it work better in some people with allergic asthma and not in others?

Do we have different reactions to combatting allergens? I am interested because I have to take 20mg a day to get any effect and it makes a major difference but at 10mg I might as well not be taking it at all.

Mad Asthmatic

Genevieve said...

I commented on another post and left a question but I haven't heard back?

Glenna said...

A quick comment about the "beer asthma". I was also warned to steer clear of nitrates when I was first diagnosed with asthma, as an exacerbator. I thought it was odd but with as many allergies as I have, I've found that during the winter months I really don't have as many episodes if I avoid foods like beer, wine, cheese, and bacon. Weird, huh?