Island Hospital
 
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Respiratory Care
Respiratory Care services at Island Hospital are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Quick access to evaluation and treatment of heart and lung-related problems are critical to a positive outcome. And because a patient’s condition can change quickly, we’re always ready to make adjustments in treatment when necessary.
 

Round-the-Clock Respiratory Services

For most of us breathing is not something we think about. It's inhale and exhale, all day every day. But for some, taking a breath is not so easy.

That's why comprehensive Respiratory Services are always available at Island Hospital - whether the patient is a premature baby with underdeveloped lungs, a heart attack or stroke victim with life-threatening symptoms or a senior who lives with asthma or emphysema.  


Dedicated Professionals

All fourteen members of IH Respiratory Services Department are credentialed through the Washington State Department of Health and are certified or registered Respiratory Care Practitioners. Each is required to regularly complete continuing education to maintain licensure.

In addition to out-patient services that deal largely with pulmonary function and other diagnostic testing, Respiratory Services professionals provide a range of patient and family education.  The education component is a crucial part of total patient care to promote recovery and keep patients healthier longer.

The Respiratory Services team is responsible for delivering medications that relieve shortness of breath, decrease inflammation and ease other symptoms. They initiate and monitor life support systems, perform electrocardiograms (ECG) and tailor care plans that meet individual patient needs. 

Respiratory Services is also a key member of the hospital's rapid response team that's deployed if a patient goes into cardiopulmonary arrest or has other life-threatening symptoms.  Usually consisting of a Charge Nurse, a Respiratory Therapist and an ICU (Intensive Care Unit) Registed Nurse, the team also evaluates individuals who exhibit varying levels of respiratory distress.


Pulmonary Function Chamber

A first step toward accurate diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary medical conditions is an assessment of how a patient's lungs are actually working. At Island Hospital that battery of tests is conducted in the Pulmonary Function Laboratory under the direction of Dr. Brian Kendregen, MD and a staff of skilled, experienced respiratory practitioners.

Some testing is performed within the lab's "body plethysamography box", a clear Plexiglas chamber about the size of a phone booth. The box is designed to gauge a patient's lung volume and other measurements such as diffusion capacity, airways resistance, airways hypersensitivity and maximum ventilation capacity.

Testing can be completed in as little as 30 minutes or run up to an hour and a half depending on orders of the attending physician. Dr. Kendregen, a Board-Certified Pulmonologist, oversees the process to ensure accuracy and interprets all results.

Hundreds of patients from Anacortes and surrounding communities have undergone pulmonary function testing in the IH lab since the service was established.



 

Contact Us

Respiratory Services
1211 24th Street
Anacortes, WA  98221

(360) 299-1363