Respiratory Therapy

Kaitlyn Finney
Respiratory therapy 150

RESPIRATORY DISTRESS AND IT 'S AFFECT ON INFANTS

Respiratory distress of the newborn is a very fatal but curable disease. It is a vicious series of events that all lead to severe impairment of the respiratory function. Although it is primarily due to immature lungs the reason the lung maturity is so important is because of the growth of surfactant. Surfactant replacement and mechanical ventilation are both very helpful therapies for infants with Respiratory distress syndrome however the best method is the prevention of prematurity. The purpose of this paper is to enlighten the reader about this devastating disease and the successful therapies we respiratory therapists use to reverse and care

To go past a outer visual assessment of the patient, if there is time a chest radiograph will be able to definitively prove the presence of respiratory distress syndrome "will show a characteristic uniform reticulogranular pattern (network of rough grainy-appearing lung tissue) and peripheral air bronchograms". [#4 Peretta] Another key visual term used for respiratory distress syndrome is "ground glass". With the respiratory distress comes a spread out collapse of the alveoli, because of this the lung volumes are much lower and the lung aren 't able to oxygenate properly. If the child 's respiratory distress isn 't treated they will permanently lose lung volume and their respiratory distress signs will

It is important for the respiratory therapist to check the patients vital signs as well as monitor their tidal volumes and saturation. By doing this they will be able to see if there is a good response to the instillation of the surfactant by "improvement in saturation with oxygen and or a reduction in Fi02 requirement, decreased work of breathing, improvement in lung volumes, as seen by an increase in tidal volume during pressure ventilation or improved aeration on the chest X-ray. This may occur very rapidly and requires close monitoring by the respiratory therapist to avoid over ventilation and lung injury in the period of time directly after surfactant replacement therapy". [#4 Peretta] With added surfactant the oxygenation will improve and there will be a decrease in surface tension and an increase in the are of gas