Respiratory Therapy
Respiratory Therapy
Supporting your breathing at every stage of life.
When breathing becomes difficult, respiratory care practitioners are part of the team responding—whether you’re experiencing an asthma flare, infection, respiratory failure or another condition affecting your breathing. At Kootenai Health, registered respiratory care practitioners (RCPs) support patients across the lifespan, from fragile newborns in the NICU to adults with acute and chronic respiratory conditions.
Our team provides respiratory support throughout the hospital, including the emergency department, intensive care units, inpatient floors and procedural areas. Depending on your needs, that may include oxygen therapy, inhaled medications, airway management, advanced ventilator support, ECMO or pulmonary function testing. We work closely with your physicians and other specialists to provide respiratory care based on your condition and changing needs.
Neonatal & Pediatric Expertise
Advanced Respiratory Support
First Regional COPD Program
Our Services
Conditions
Respiratory therapy may be part of your care when a condition affects your breathing, including:
- Asthma
- COPD
- Pneumonia
- Bronchiolitis
- Sleep apnea
- Chronic lung disease
- Neuromuscular respiratory weakness
- Post-surgical respiratory complications
- Trauma
- Acute respiratory failure
Diagnostics & Evaluation
Pulmonary Function Testing
Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) measure how well your lungs move air and oxygen through your body. Testing can help evaluate conditions such as asthma, COPD and cystic fibrosis, identify changes in lung function and help your care team understand how your lungs respond to treatment.
Treatment & Procedures
- Oxygen therapy, including high-flow support
- Invasive and non-invasive mechanical ventilation
- Inhaled medication administration and monitoring
- Airway clearance and secretion management
- Airway management, including tracheostomy support and education
- Neonatal and pediatric respiratory support
- Emergency and rapid-response respiratory support
- Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)
- Ongoing monitoring and adjustment of respiratory therapies
Your Respiratory Care Team
Registered respiratory care practitioners (RCPs) work alongside physicians, nurses and other members of your care team throughout the hospital. They assess and monitor your breathing, provide respiratory therapies and adjust support as your condition changes.
Registered Respiratory Care Practitioners (RCPs)
RCPs provide oxygen therapy, breathing treatments, airway management, pulmonary testing, and advanced ventilator support. All are ACLS and PALS certified, with NICU-trained RCPs also NRP certified.
