RT Equipment &Milestones
This negative pressure life support device famously saved thousands of lives during the 20th Century polio epidemic.
What is the iron lung?
These tiny, balloon-like air sacs at the end of the bronchioles are the primary site of gas exchange in the lungs.
What are alveoli?
This standard acronym refers to the volume of air delivered to the lungs during a single normal ventilator breath.
What is Tidal Volume (VT)?
He won the NBA Finals MVP award during the San Antonio Spurs' championship run in 2014.
Who is Kawhi Leonard?
This portable non-invasive device attached to a patient’s finger became common in the 1980s to measure oxygen saturation.
What is a pulse oximeter?
This large, dome-shaped muscle separates the thoracic cavity from the abdomen and is the primary muscle of inspiration.
What is the diaphragm?
This lung protective ventilator setting uses low positive pressure at the end of exhalation to keep alveoli open and improve oxygenation.
What is PEEP (Positive End-Expiratory Pressure)?
Fiesta San Antonio originated in 1891 with this single event honoring the heroes of the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto.
What is the Battle of Flowers Parade?
This class of life-saving medications (such as bronchodilators) became widely used by respiratory therapists starting in the 1950s.
What are aerosolized medications (or bronchodilators)?
This double-layered membrane surrounds the lungs and lines the chest cavity, reducing friction during breathing.
What is the pleura (or pleural membrane)?
When an intubated patient exhibits sudden chest rise and breath sounds exclusively on the right side, the endotracheal tube is likely placed here.
What is the right mainstem bronchus?
In 1932, Charles Elmer Doolin invented and first commercialized this famous corn chip in San Antonio.
What are Fritos?
This mechanical ventilator first allowed medical professionals to reliably deliver volume-controlled ventilation to patients globally.
What is the Bird Mark 7 (or Bennet/volume ventilators like the Bird/Bourns, depending on curriculum)?
Located in the brainstem, these two structures houses the primary respiratory centers that regulate the involuntary pace of breathing.
What are the medulla oblongata and the pons?
For an adult patient on mechanical ventilation, the ideal endotracheal tube cuff pressure should be kept within this range to prevent tracheal tissue damage.
What is 20 to 30 cmH₂O?
He holds the franchise record as the all-time leading scorer in San Antonio Spurs history with 26,496 points.
Who is Tim Duncan?
This set of clinical practice guidelines and evidence-based protocols allows respiratory therapists to independently assess and initiate patient care.
What are RT-driven protocols (or clinical practice guidelines)?
This physiological phenomenon describes how an increase in blood CO₂ and a decrease in pH cause hemoglobin to release oxygen more readily to tissues.
What is the Bohr effect?
This specific airway pressure increases significantly when there is an increase in airway resistance (like a bronchospasm or tube obstruction) but drops back down during a plateau hold.
What is Peak Inspiratory Pressure (PIP)?
Completed in 1928, San Antonio's Milam Building achieved a notable U.S. architectural first because it was designed to be completely this.
What is air-conditioned?