Respiratory Care Services at UT Medical Center provide services throughout the entire hospital to those who require treatment or diagnosis for conditions affecting the cardiopulmonary system. Respiratory Services provided almost 571,000 respiratory treatments during 2004. Respiratory Services staff makes these services worthy of national recognition and are in the process of organizing a unique Lung Center for East Tennessee, which will begin formal operation in 2006. In addition, the Sleep Center offers services for sleep-related disorders.

Those served by the department range from the tiniest of premature neonates to the eldest geriatric patients that receive bedside respiratory care, counseling and treatment. Under the direction of Michael Powers, MS, RRT, and Paul D. Banick, MD, PhD, FCCP, physician director, Respiratory Services maintains 57 ventilators used daily for postoperative cardiac surgery patients, victims of major trauma, premature infants, those with life-threatening lung failure and a host of other problems.

Respiratory Services cover the entire geography of the medical center’s campus on a round-the-clock basis, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Well-trained professionals provide vital lung treatments using state-of-the-art therapist-driven protocols that are as advanced as any protocols in the country. UT Medical Center protocols have been the subject of numerous publications and educational presentations in the local, regional, national and international arenas.

Medical Services

• Therapeutic Services—The types of services offered range from routine care on the general floors to critical care and life support in critical care units and the Emergency Department. Both interfacility and intrafacility transports are provided. Therapeutic services are carried out in all locations of the hospital as well as in the physicians’ office buildings and clinics adjacent to the hospital.

• Diagnostic Services—Diagnostic services are provided to inpatients and outpatients through the Pulmonary Function Testing Laboratory, which include metabolic studies as well as the complete range of pulmonary function studies. The PFT lab includes the capability of performing body plethysmography. Pulmonary function testing spans most age groups, but is limited by the patient’s ability to perform the test because of age, physical inability, or an impaired ability to understand and follow instructions.

• Special Services—The department offers services that are both diagnostic and therapeutic by providing assistants for physicians in the performance of bronchoscopies. Bronchoscopy assistance is performed both within the endoscopy suite and in the units and floors of the hospital as requested by the performing physician. This service includes all age ranges of inpatients and outpatients.

Air Quality Guide

Air Quality Guide UT Medical Center’s Heart Lung Vascular Institute, WBIR-TV and B97.5 have teamed up to offer free air quality color code guides. The guides provide information on the air quality levels and define the times when people with respiratory problems should avoid outdoors activities.

More than 30 million Americans suffer from chronic lung conditions, including emphysema and asthma. These conditions can be caused or aggravated by air pollution. According to the American Lung Association (ALA), pulmonary disease is the third leading cause of death in the United States and the number-one killer of infants under the age of one.

The following suggestions from the Tennessee Department of Health can help people protect themselves from air pollution.

• Limit outdoor exercise when air pollution levels are expected to be high, especially late afternoons and early evenings. Walk instead of jogging, or jog for half your usual time.
• Reduce your health risk by changing activities, cutting back or rescheduling strenuous outdoor activities when pollution levels are expected to be high.
• Be aware of respiratory symptoms, especially in children, elderly and those with heart or lung conditions.
• Reduce your activity level if you experience any unusual coughing, chest discomfort, wheezing or breathing difficulty.

If you experience any unusual coughing, chest discomfort, wheezing or breathing difficulty, schedule an appointment with your doctor.

To get your free air quality control card, please fill out the form or call 865.305.6877.

Respiratory Staff Members

• What is a respiratory therapist? Most people take breathing for granted. It is second nature, an involuntary reflex. But for the thousands of Americans who suffer from breathing problems, each breath is a major accomplishment. Those people include patients with chronic lung problems such as asthma, bronchitis and emphysema, but they also include heart attack and accident victims; premature infants; and people with cystic fibrosis, lung cancer or AIDS.

  In each case, the person will most likely receive treatment from a respiratory therapist under the direction of a physician. Respiratory therapists work to evaluate, treat and care for patients with breathing disorders.

• What kind of training do employees have? The staff is comprised of respiratory therapists who are licensed to practice respiratory care by the Board on Respiratory Care of the Tennessee Department of Health. It is important to UT Medical Center for patients as well as other medical professionals to know that its staff has well-documented competency and expertise. All currently working staff, including the management team, have passed national board exams administered by the National Board for Respiratory Care. Respiratory therapists at UT Medical Center are encouraged to participate in professional organizations such as the American Association for Respiratory Care and Tennessee Society for Respiratory Care.

  The University of Tennessee (UT) provides formal training in programs for respiratory therapists, paramedics and nurses. Beginning in July 2006, UT will offer Knoxville’s only formal Pulmonology fellowship, a two-year training program for qualified physicians who will lead the fight against respiratory diseases in the future.

Respiratory Services philosophy is to provide service that is nothing less than superior to all customers. Its customers naturally include the patients but also other members of the healthcare and supportive teams with whom it works with to provide better patient care. The vision is to provide an appropriate scope and level of services that continue to efficiently meet the changing needs of those served.

• Supportive and caring leadership
• Teamwork
• Continuous Performance Improvement
• Educational support and development