Dave Says Treatments For Pneumonia Actually Work

Dave was a senior RT back when I started at Shoreline in 1997. At first I was intimidated by him. But soon I learned that he was a very wise and funny therapist. He would come up with some of the greatest bits of wisdom and humor published here on the RT cave. And one of the things that Doug would always say is that albuterol does nothing for pneumonia. 

Well, once he said that maybe the first treatment might work. And so the doctor would order Q4 albuterol breathing treatments. Later on in our careers it seemed that albuterol Q4 was ordered on nearly every patient with pneumonia. And, as Doug would say, all those treatments were a complete waste of time. 

Fast forward many years. Doug is retired. I remember the day he came in with a bag full of scrubs. He set the bag on the floor by the boss's door. And he pasted his badge on the door. And he said, "John, I'm done with this place. I can't stand all the stupidity here. So I quit." 

Gosh, that was over 10 years ago. A few times over these years I ran into Doug in Walmart or some store. And each time we talked for five or ten minutes. And Doug shared with me his wisdom of the day. And each time I realized how much I missed talking with him. It's rare that you get to meet someone as smart as you are. And Doug was that to me. 

So, a few weeks ago Dave was a patient in a hospital. And I visited him. He said he was admitted because he was having trouble breathing and was diagnosed with pneumonia. And he said he was ordered on breathing treatments and, "lo and behold, they actually work!" and he laughed. And then he coughed. And then he said. "I always said breathing treatments were useless for pneumonia. You know that. Now that I have pneumonia, I find they actually work."

I've had similar discussions with my RT friends in the past. One of my coworkers would say that coughing is not an indication for albuterol. And I'd disagree. Coughing, in effect, is one of the prime symptoms of asthma, especially in children. And a breathing treatment does help. I have experienced this in my own asthmatic children. 

So, a lot of the breathing treatments we do are a waste of time. And these treatments can easily be discontinued or just plain old skipped. But, there are times, even when you doubt they are working, that they actually are working. So, despite the burnout, despite the ease of rejection, some breathing treatments are actually necessary, even on those we suspect that they are not. So, it's best to keep an open mind on such things. IMO. 

It was nice talking with Dave. His wisdom here at the RT Cave is sorely missed.