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Cardio-Pulmonary Services Department
The Cardio-Pulmonary Services Department at Ashe Memorial Hospital is staffed clinically by Respiratory Care Practitioners and provides services 24 hours per day, 7 days a week. We provide a diversified scope of diagnostic and therapeutic services which include the following:
Diagnostic Services:
Electrocardiogram (EKG): This test is a recording of the heart's electrical pattern to evaluate heart rate and rhythm. It can also give limited indications as to past heart damage, enlarged chambers, and heart attacks as they occur.
Cardiac Stress Testing:
This test records EKG's while the patient is exercising. It is capable of revealing potentially serious problems such as blockages in the vessels that supply blood to the heart that may not be seen on a resting EKG.
Holter Monitoring:
This test is performed to evaluate patients who have symptoms that may be heart or rhythm related, but may not occur during he short period of time it takes to record and EKG.
Pulmonary Function Testing:
This refers to a series of tests that measure flows and volumes of air during normal and rapid breathing, as well as how efficient your lungs are in getting oxygen from the air in your lungs into the blood. These tests are very helpful in diagnosing and treating diseases such as Asthma and Emphysema.
Overnight Oximetry:
This test is performed during sleep in the patient's home. A small probe is attached to the finger and evaluates the body's ability to keep blood oxygen levels appropriate during sleep.
Arterial Blood Gases (ABG's):
This test is performed by acquiring a small sample of blood from an artery and analyzing the efficiency of the lungs in getting oxygen into the blood and eliminating carbon dioxide ( a waste product). New testing is also available to help physicians assess smoke inhalation patients or patients who have been exposed to excessive amounts of carbon monoxide (a potentially deadly gas produced by combustion).
Therapeutic Services:
Respiratory Care Services also provide treatment and preventative measures for various respiratory diseases. These include treatments that create medication mists that are breathed directly into the lungs to improve the lungs' ability to exchange air and treat airway problems created by Asthma, Emphysema and other lung diseases.
Airway Management and Ventilation Support:
When patients are unable to support their own breathing, Respiratory Care Practitioners provide airway and ventilation support. This sometimes requires the use of mechanical ventilators. We are excited about new ventilators we are receiving that include new technology that reduce the discomfort and medications needed during mechanical support. In addition, this new technology will require less blood sampling to monitor changes in the patient's condition.
Assistance with Births:
Respiratory staff members attend all newborn deliveries at Ashe Memorial Hospital, to provide assessment and cardio-pulmonary support as needed during the first moments after birth. Respiratory Care Practitioners also participate in resuscitation of individuals whose hearts have stopped or respirations have ceased due to trauma, heart attacks or other causes.
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