All posts by Steven Hardt

Respiratory Care pioneer passes away

Respiratory Care

It was with great sadness that I read that James Whitacre, MA, RRT passed away recently at the age of 93.

Whitacre was one of the first members of the American Association of Respiratory Care (AARC), and served on the Board of Directors of the AARC in the 1950s and 1960s.    He was also the first editor of the widely read journal Respiratory Care , and is widely credited as the creator of that journal.  He also founded one of the first baccalaureate RT programs at the University of Missouri in Columbia in the 1960s.

Whitacre is also recognized as a caring respiratory care clinician, who often reminded students and coworkers that they “did as much therapy with their presence as they did with their equipment.

To read more about Whitacre’s outstanding contributions as a pioneer in the field of respiratory care, check out https://www.aarc.org/first-editor-respiratory-care-passes-away/

Respiratory Therapy ranks in U.S. News and World Report Top 100 Jobs

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I was pleased to see that Respiratory Therapist (RRT) was listed by the U.S. News and World Report as a top 100 job.  RTs came in at 51.  Check out the article at http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/respiratory-therapist.

It was interesting to see the forecast by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for job growth-22,700 new positions in the next 7 years.  This only takes into account the new positions and doesn’t include the expected wave of retirements expected to take place in the profession over the next several years.  And the average median salary for those jobs is over $56,000.00 annually.

The article mentions that the profession may be suffering from the fact that only an associate degree is required to enter the profession.  It will be interesting to see if the profession’s anticipated move to a baccalaureate may increase our ranking

Common Sense advice to avoid colds and flu

Respiratory Care

It’s been said that common sense isn’t so common anymore.  I was pleased to see the following article on common sense steps to avoid colds and the flu.  http://www.intelihealth.com/news/fda-shares-advice-to-avoid-colds-and-flu?level=0

I think many of us know the basics…wash your hands frequently and avoid contact with infected persons.  But many of us may not realize the role a balanced diet, adequate sleep, regular exercise, and stress avoidance also play in avoiding colds and the flu

The FDA also recommends minimizing alcohol and caffeine intake, and carefully reading the directions before taking any over the counter medication.

As a Respiratory Therapist, I have seen all too often the impact colds and the flu can play on those with existing lung diseases like asthma and COPD.  The flu alone accounts for over 200,000 hospital visits each year and thousands of death.  Let’s hope that the FDAs common sense advice can help reduce those sobering numbers.

We’ve come a long way

Respiratory Care

It is amazing how far we’ve come with the science of mechanical ventilation.

I recently read an article about a 67 year old man who has spent almost all his life in an iron lung.  We have an Emerson iron lung in the library here at SPC, and every time I look at it I wonder how people could have tolerated that for single day,  and this man has not only tolerated it, but has thrived in it, for over 61 years.  Check out the article at ww.intelihealth.com/news/the-man-in-the-iron-lung?level=0

This made me curious, so I double checked.  We are now up to 174 uniquely named modes of ventilation on over 34 different ventilators.

That’s a lot of progress in a single lifetime…..

CDC Reports fewer infants are dying

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Just read a fascinating article on a report from the CDC. It states that the death rate among infants has dropped 4 percent between 2006 and 2011. Check out the article at http://www.intelihealth.com/news/fewer-infants-dying-than-before-cdc-reports?level=0

Dr David Mendez, one of the neonatologists quoted in the article, states that the drop in infant death rates is due to
1. The result of more women carrying to term
2. Improved ability to care for preterm infants

While neonatal care is certainly not a strength of mine, I do know that some of these advances have come from the discipline of respiratory care. While not specifically mentioned in this article, I suspect that recent advances in neonatal ventilation, especially non invasive neonatal ventilation, surfactant therapy, improved resuscitation and oxygenation have contributed to some of that improved care.

Ebola vaccine you inhale

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Researchers from the University of Texas Austin and the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg will present results on an inhaled Ebola vaccine

A recent preclinical study on this inhalable vaccine is the only evidence to date that a single dose of non -injectable vaccine could provide a long lasting protection from Ebola. The vaccine protected monkeys for over 150 days in trials.

An inhalable vaccine would be easier to store and transport.

For more information check out http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2820758/Researchers-reveal-Ebola-vaccine-INHALE-Tests-protects-monkeys-killer-virus-three-months.html or the AARC website at https://www.aarc.org/headlines/index.cfm#professional

Promising clinical trial on lung cancer drug

Health Programs - All, Respiratory Care

Bristol -Myers Squibb recently announced that the data on a recent trial of a experimental immunotherapy for a certain type of lung cancer looks very promising. 1 year survival rates were as high as 41% vs. the typical 5.5-18%. Check out the article located at http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/30/us-bristol-myers-cancer-study-idUSKBN0IJ1KT20141030.

This makes me think of how many more drugs have come out in the past 20 years to treat different types of lung disease. We’ve come a long way from the days of just having albuterol updrafts and atrovent mdis!