Mesothelioma Respiratory Therapist
One of the most debilitating and serious physical ailments that occurs in most cases of malignant mesothelioma is difficulty breathing. Oftentimes relegated to an oxygen tank and/or a life of little to no physical activities, patients seek out the advice and care of respiratory therapists to help make breathing as easy and pain-free as it possibly can be.
According to the American Association for Respiratory Care, there are approximately 100,000 respiratory therapists across the country who are currently helping patients address their breathing problems. A majority of therapists are housed in departments at hospitals that perform intensive care, critical care, and neonatal procedures under the direction of a physician.
Most procedures performed by a respiratory therapist can be classified into one of two categories: Diagnosis and Treatment. Diagnosis procedures can include obtaining of sputum and blood specimens to analyze the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in them, measuring the capacity of a patient’s lungs, performing stress tests on the patient’s cardiopulmonary system, the study of patients who are suffering from breath-related sleep disorders.
Some treatment options that respiratory therapists handle are the utilization of mechanical ventilation devices for those who cannot breathe well enough on their own, monitoring a patient following a procedure to help them recover their lung function, conducting low-aerobic rehabilitation activities, helping patients with their smoking cessation programs so they can kick their smoking addiction.
For those suffering from mesothelioma cancer,
asbestosis, or any other form of
lung cancer, respiratory therapists will likely perform procedures to remove fluid from the area surrounding the lungs that can make breathing for patients extremely difficult and painful. They can also perform chest physiotherapy in order to remove any mucus buildup from inside the lungs.
In addition to receiving treatment for malignant mesothelioma cancer, patients and their families may also want to consult an
asbestos attorney to see if it is in their rights to bring forth a lawsuit against a former employer that led to their
asbestos exposure. If it is determined that a company may be at fault for your mesothelioma, you may be entitled to a monetary
mesothelioma settlement.