Las Vegas Respiratory - Summerlin Hospital Medical Center

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Respiratory Therapy

Lung disease is the number three killer in America, responsible for one in seven deaths. Lung disease and other breathing problems are the number one killer of babies younger than one year old. Today, more than 30 million Americans are living with chronic lung disease such as asthma, emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

The Respiratory Therapy Department at Summerlin Hospital provides:

Arterial Blood Gas Testing
Pulmonary Function Testing
Thoracic Gas Volume (panting and quiet breathing)
Airway Resistance (panting and quiet breathing)
Distribution (closing volumes, delta N2, LCI)
Respiratory Mechanics (compliance, P-100, max pressures)
Nutritional Assessment (spontaneous breathing and ventilator monitoring)
Basic Spirometry
Pre- and Post-Spirometry (bronchodilator administered to patient)
Diffusion Capacity Study (measures how well the oxygen gets from the patient’s lungs into the bloodstream)
Lung Volumes via Nitrogen Washout (alternate method of determining the degree of obstructive disease)
Body Plethysmography — the gold standard for measuring lung volumes. It determines the degree of obstructive disease. This test determines if restrictive disease is present, and if so, determines the degree of restriction.

For more information on resources and testing available through Summerlin Hospital's Respiratory Department, please call (702) 233-7245.

Asthma Facts

Asthma

What is asthma?

Asthma is a chronic lung disease, caused by inflammation of the breathing tubes, which leads to slowing of air flow into the lungs. The breathing tubes are sensitive, swollen or inflamed, in people with asthma all or most of the time, even when there are no symptoms.

Asthma is characterized by recurrent symptoms such as a persistent cough, wheezing and breathlessness.

What are the symptoms of asthma?

The symptoms of asthma, caused by the swelling of breathing tubes, can vary among people and can include wheezing, shortness of breath and tightness of the chest. Other asthma symptoms can include: trouble controlling a cough; a persistent cough at night; difficulty breathing during, or soon after, physical exertion or exercise; or waking up at night because of one or more of these symptoms.

Episodes of asthma symptoms (also called asthma attacks, flare-ups or exacerbations) occur when airways narrow, making it difficult — sometimes impossible — to breathe. Warning signs of an impending asthma attack may include coughing, chest tightness, light wheezing, restlessness when trying to sleep, irritability, itchy throat and watery eyes.

What causes asthma symptoms and attacks?

People with asthma have inflamed breathing tubes that are supersensitive to things that do not bother other people. Although these asthma "triggers" vary from person to person, some of the most common include:

Allergens, substances that cause allergic reactions, which can include dust mites, pollens, molds, pet dander and cockroaches and their waste.
Irritants in the air, including smoke from tobacco, wood fires or charcoal grills, as well as strong fumes or odors like household sprays, paint, gasoline, perfume and scented soaps.
Respiratory infections such as colds, flu, sore throats and sinus infections. These are the most common asthma triggers in children.
Exercise and other activities that make a person breathe harder.
Weather, especially dry wind, cold air and sudden changes.

What happens during an asthma attack?

During normal breathing, the airways or breathing tubes in the lungs are fully open, allowing air to move in and out freely. But people with asthma have inflamed, supersensitive airways. Triggers irritate the sensitive airways, and:

The lining of the airways swell and become even more inflamed
Mucus clogs the airways
The muscles around the airways tighten (known as a bronchospasm)
These changes narrow the airways until breathing becomes difficult and stressful, and result in asthma symptoms