GRADY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
Chickasha, Oklahoma

 

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Respiratory Care

Under the supervision of a licensed Physician, Grady Memorial Hospital’s Respiratory Therapy Department cooperates with all hospital departments in order to provide the therapeutic services necessary for patient's recovery.  Respiratory Therapists are very important vital members of our health care team, uniquely trained to treat conditions of the cardiopulmonary system and works with the patient and their family in discharge planning to assure continuity of care when returning to the home environment.  

Grady Memorial Hospital’s employs both Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRTT) and Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) who are credentialed through the National Board for Respiratory Care and also licensed through the Oklahoma State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision. Grady Memorial Hospital encourages growth and development by acquisition of further skills and knowledge through an on-going in-service education program for all personnel

Our Respiratory Therapists perform procedures that are both diagnostic and therapeutic. Some of these activities include:

Diagnosis

  • Obtaining and analyzing sputum and breath specimens. They also take blood specimens and analyze them to determine levels of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and other gases.
  • Interpreting the data obtained from these specimens.
  • Measuring the capacity of a patient’s lungs to determine if there is impaired function.
  • Performing stress tests and other studies of the cardiopulmonary system.
  • Studying disorders of people with disruptive sleep patterns.

Treatment

  • Operating and maintaining various types of highly sophisticated equipment to administer oxygen or to assist with breathing.
  • Using mechanical ventilation for treating patients who cannot breathe adequately on their own.
  • Monitoring and managing therapy that will help a patient recover lung function.
  • Administering medications in aerosol form to help alleviate breathing problems and to help prevent respiratory infections.
  • Monitoring equipment and patient responses to therapy.
  • Maintaining a patient’s artificial airway, one that may be in place to help the patient who can’t breathe through normal means.


The Respiratory Therapy Department is open twenty-four hours 
per day, seven days per week.
 

Sleep Disorders
GMH Offers Help

Millions of Americans suffer from a sleep disorder that, in many cases, may be seriously disruptive to the life of the afflicted individual.   Despite important advances in the diagnosis and treatment of these sleep disorders, most go unrecognized or misdiagnosed.   However, in the last few years, the public has become increasingly aware of these conditions and patients are beginning to find relief.

 Sleep Diagnostic Laboratory

Grady Memorial Hospital has established a Sleep Diagnostic Laboratory for the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders including Sleep Apnea, Narcolepsy, Insomnia, Periodic Limb Movements in Sleep and many others less common sleep disorders.   State-of-the-art computerized instrumentation allows for prompt and accurate recognition of sleep disorders and results in successful treatment and improved quality of sleep and wakefulness in most cases.

 Disorders Of Sleep

Excessive Daytime Sleepiness - The tendency to sleep inappropriately impairs the afflicted persons ability to enjoy many varied situations. This alone is justification for seeking treatment. Narcolepsy, periodic limb movements in sleep, sleep apnea, and insomnia are a few of the sleep disorders, which can cause this type of daytime impairment.

Sleep Apnea Syndrome - People with this respiratory problem actually stop breathing up to several hundred times each night. These apneas may last up
to 90 seconds.

During sleep apnea major organs are deprived of oxygen, blood pressure skyrockets, and the heart may beat irregularly or even stop. The primary symptoms of sleep apnea are heavy snoring, high blood pressure, and excessive daytime sleepiness.

Insomnia - The inability to sleep may be caused by either psychological or physiological problems. Environmental noise, emotional anxiety, food allergies, and physical pain are just some of the factors, which inhibit normal sleep.

Narcolepsy - This distortion of the sleep/wake cycle causes people to fall asleep unexpectedly and at any time. Over 200,000 Americans are affected by this dangerous problem. Narcoleptic often experience muscle weakness upon wakening, as well as at moments of surprise, happiness, excitement, and other strong emotions.

Oxygenation problems - When people have chronic breathing problems or lung disease, the symptoms often worsen during sleep. Complete evaluation of such respiratory diseases sometimes requires measurement of blood oxygenation during sleep.

Periodic limb movements during sleep - Periodic limb movements during sleep prevents proper rest.   Those who experience this problem sleep very poorly and may believe that they have insomnia.

Snoring - It's estimated that there are thirty million habitual snorers in this country. Snoring may be a symptom of sleep apnea.   If snoring is accompanied by excessive daytime sleepiness, fatigue, or poor job performance, it is a sign of a more serious sleep disorder.   Any snoring makes sleep less restful and undermines the quality of waking life by inducing sleepiness, difficulty with concentration, headaches, or impotence.

Sleep talking - Sleep talking is usually incomprehensible and rarely of psychological significance.   Most important is to determine whether the troublesome behavior is benign or a sign of sleep-related epileptic seizure.

 Process of Diagnosis and Treatment

If a sleep study is required, the patient is referred to the Sleep Diagnostic Laboratory for one or two nights of overnight monitoring.   This usually means checking into the lab a few hours before normal bedtime to spend the night in one of our comfortable patient rooms.   During the night, sophisticated sensors painlessly and continuously monitor brain, heart and muscle activity as well as breathing patterns and blood oxygen saturation.

Once all the data is collected, the Sleep Diagnostic Laboratory's consulting clinical polysomnographer and registered sleep technologist read the results and make recommendations for treatment. All results and a summary report are then submitted to the patient's physician for final analysis and recommendation.

 Insurance Coverage

Because a diagnosis from a Sleep Diagnostic Laboratory is an accepted medical procedure, it is covered by most third-party carriers.   It is impossible, however, to predict how much of each patient's expenses will be covered, so we suggest that patients contact their insurance representative for a ruling on specific policy coverage.

Referral Procedures

The Sleep Diagnostic Laboratory accepts patients only through a physician referral.   A history and physical, clinical justification for polysomnogram, and a list of current medications are required prior to the evaluation.

Below is a self-scoring questionnaire for possible sleep disorders.

 Sleep Apnea

1. I have been told that I snore.

2. I have been told that I stop breathing when I sleep, although I may not remember this when I wake up.

3. I feel sleepy during the day even though I slept through the night.

4. I have high blood pressure.

5. I have been told that I am a restless sleeper - which I toss and turn a lot at night.

6. I sweat excessively during the night.

7. I frequently awaken with headaches.

8. I have fallen asleep while driving.

9. I have experienced weight gain.

 Insomnia

10. I have real difficulty falling asleep.

11. Thoughts race through my mind and this prevents from sleeping.

12. I wake up during the night and cannot go back to sleep.

13. I wake up earlier in the morning than I would like.

14. I have had significant stress in the last 6 months.

15. I have had changes in my lifestyle in the last 6 months.

16. I have had a recent death in the family or a recent break-up of a relationship.

17. I have received treatment for psychological or emotional problems.

18. I have had difficulties in the past in stopping myself from over use of alcohol or drugs.

 Narcolepsy

19. I had trouble concentrating when I was in school or have had trouble at work due to sleepiness.

20. When I am angry surprised or laugh, I feel like I a going limp or fallen asleep while laughing or crying.

21. I feel like I go around in a daze.

22. I have experienced vivid dream-like scenes upon falling asleep or awakening.

23. I have fallen asleep while laughing or crying.

24. Sometimes, no matter how hard I try to stay awake, I fall asleep anyway.

25. Sometimes, I feel unable to move when I am waking up or falling asleep.

 Periodic Limb Movements During Sleep

26. I experience muscle tension in my legs even when I am otherwise relaxed.

27. I have noticed, or others have commented, that parts of my body jerk.

28. I have been told that I kick at night.

29. I experience aching or crawling" sensations in my legs.

30. Sometimes, I cannot keep my legs still at night - I just have to move them.

 Scoring

Questions I through 9:

If you have marked three or more boxes, you show symptoms of SLEEP APNEA, a life-threatening disorder which causes you to stop breathing - in many cases, several hundred times per night.

Questions 10 through 18:

If you have marked one or more boxes, you show symptoms of INSOMNIA,

Persistent inability to fall asleep or stay asleep.

Questions 19 through 25:

If you have marked three or more boxes, you show symptoms of NARCOLEPSY, a life-long disorder, characterized by uncontrollable attacks of sleepiness during the day.

Questions 26 through 30:

If you have marked two or more boxes, you show symptoms of PERIODIC LIMB

MOVEMENTS DURING SLEEP, a disorder characterized by repeated jerking during sleep or by pain, or ''crawling' sensations in the legs.

 

 

 

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Last modified: 02/17/06