Does a respiratory therapist use medicine to treat a patient or is it only through respiratory exercises?

Respiratory therapists use medicines, some equipment, and even exercises to treat their patients. Respiratory medications/bronchodilators are classified as short-acting, also called quicker acting, reliever or rescue medications, and long-acting or maintenance medications. Respiratory medications/bronchodilators can be inhalers or nebulizers. Rescue medications take a short time to act and relieve respiratory acute attacks very quickly by opening the airways, they usually take a few minutes to act and can last about 4 hours. Examples of short-acting medications are albuterol, levalbuterol, and pirbuterol.

Maintenance medications are used to control long-term symptoms of respiratory diseases, they can be used with inhaled steroids. They can last 12-24hrs. Examples are salmeterol, formoterol; Advair, dulera, and Symbicort have long term beta-agonists and steroids. We have breathing exercises for patients to help open their lungs like incentive spirometry especially after surgery to prevent collapsing of the lungs/atelectasis. Cough assist for patients with weak cough, positive expiratory pressure (PEP) which helps shake mucus and move it out of the lungs, and ICU Shaking beds, which can also be used.

Physical exercises are also used to improve and strengthen the respiratory muscles for better breathing. During exercise, patients are in a room/hall where they are monitored with a professional. In exercise areas oxygen, breathing medications/bronchodilators, and CPR Equipment are within reach. Respiratory therapists work under the physician’s orders. However, some hospitals have respiratory directed protocols where the respiratory therapists are allowed to initiate, discontinue, transition, or even restart therapy depending on the patient’s condition.

Jared Ogenche

RRT/RCP