Respiratory Care

The specialized Health Concepts Ventilator Program offered by Pine Grove Health Center is one of only two such programs in Rhode Island and services people from across the country. Pine Grove’s  licensed and certified respiratory therapists and nurses employ a combination of compassion and cutting-edge technology to deliver on-site services 24/7, including ventilator and tracheostomy management and support. The Pine Grove ventilator unit uses an interdisciplinary team approach to maximize the abilities and self-care skills of people who suffer from pulmonary disorders. We provide state-of-the-art disease management through education that allows patients and residents and to optimize function, understand their disease process and prevent regression.

There are many reasons why people can become dependent upon ventilator support including:

• Hospitalized, elderly patients who become nutritionally depleted and develop pneumonia that leads to respiratory failure.
• Patients with underlying lung disease such as emphysema or chronic bronchitis (often called Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD).
• Reversible conditions such as infection and malnutrition that when properly and completely addressed can allow patients to be successfully weaned from their dependence upon the ventilator.
• Irreversible problems such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that affects one’s ability to build up a respiratory effort. Although weaning is not a realistic goal, much can be done to improve the quality of life on the ventilator.

Highlights of Pine Grove’s Respiratory Care Services:

• Communication intervention including use of the Passy Muir speaking valve
• Consulting pulmonologist
• Dysphagia management
• Education, exercise and relaxation training, and psychosocial support
• Highly successful tracheostomy weaning with speech language pathologists and respiratory therapists
• Individual, comprehensive respiratory evaluations
• Pulse oximetry and arterial blood gas monitoring
• Advanced assessment and treatment selection protocols