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Erlanger Hospital Services

Respiratory Care Department

Respiratory ProtocolsThe mission of the Respiratory Care Department is to provide safe and appropiate care by qualified personal as prescribed by a physician and outlined by the department's scope of practice.

Pulmonary Lab

Staffed with Registered Pulmonary Function Technologist, the Erlanger Pulmonary Physiology laboratory is please to offer quality patient care. We offer the following services to our community and physicians.

Ordering services:

The Pulmonary Physiology Laboratory is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Procedures may be scheduled by calling the Pulmonary Lab at extension 7928 and or sending a request via SMS. Patients may be scheduled in advance for out-patient testing.

Services Provided:

Pulmonary Function Testing
Tests performed by the Pulmonary Lab include spirometry, diffusing capacity, residual volume, closing volumes, total thoracic gas volumes and airway resistance. Studies can be performed before and after administration of a bronchodilator to quantitate the reversibility of airways obstruction.
Bronchoprovocation testing can be performed with methacholine to evaluate airway reactivity. Blood gases can be measured during exercise to evaluate hypoxemia during exertion.

Bronchoscopy
The Pulmonary Lab performs flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy in the Bronchoscopy Lab. Emergency bronchoscopy may be performed in the intensive care units. From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., call the Pulmonary Lab at extension 7928. After 4 p.m., call the paging operator (ext. 7616) for the Pulmonary Technologist on call.

Bedside Spirometry
Bedside spirometry includes the measurement of forced vital capacity, forced expired volume in one second (FEV1), percent of vital capacity expired in one second (FEV1%) and forced expiratory flowrate between 25% and 75% of vital capacity (FEF 25-75). The patient's actual values are reported along with predicted values and the percentage of predicted values. Complete pulmonary function studies are performed by the pulmonary Physiology Laboratory.

Other services include:
• Respiratory Muscle Strength
• Cardiopulmonary Exercise studies
• Esophageal pH Studies
• Home Nocturnal Desaturation Studies