• Build energy levels
• Improve your strength to perform daily tasks (like playing with grand children–doing household chores)
• Improve utilization of medications
• Work with you to improve new techniques for breathing
• Decrease anxiety and depression
• Better quality of life

Services

• Pulmonary Function Studies
• Oxygen therapy
• Medication for airway management
• Airway management
• Arterial Blood Gas Analysis
• Holter Monitoring
• Event Monitoring
• Cardiac graded Stress Testing
• Non- exercise cardiac stress studies (Persantine/Sestamibi scans)
• The set up and management of mechanical ventilation
• CPAP and BIPAP therapy
• Pulse oximetry testing
• Inpatient pulmonary rehab and education, discharge preparation
• Patient family and staff education
• Asthmas education
• Chronic Lung disease medication and management

Definitions

• Electrocardiogram
  Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) is a graphic record of the electrical activity of the heart as it contracts and rests. It can be used in the diagnosis of a number of heart conditions including valve disorders, arrhythmias, and heart attack.
• Stress Test
  A stress test is used to record the heartbeat during exercise. EKG and blood pressure readings are taken before, during, and after exercise to see how your heart responds to exercise. The exercise can involve walking on a treadmill, or pedaling a stationary bicycle, or you may receive medicine to make your heart beat faster. This test can be used in the diagnosis of heart disease.
• Lung Function Tests Pulmonary function Testing
  Lung function tests (or pulmonary function tests, PFT) evaluate how much air your lungs can hold, how quickly you can move air in and out of your lungs, and how well your lungs add oxygen to the blood and remove carbon dioxide from the blood. The tests can help diagnose lung diseases and measure the severity of lung problems that prevent you from breathing normally.
• Arterial blood gases:
  An arterial blood gas (ABG) test can measure the levels of two gases in the blood to determine how well the lungs are working. It evaluates the ability of the lungs to move oxygen into the blood and to remove carbon dioxide from the blood.
  As blood passes through the lungs, oxygen moves into the blood while carbon dioxide moves out of the blood into the airspace of the lungs.
• Holter Monitor
  A Holter monitor is a device worn by a patient for a continuous period of time (usually 24-48 hours) to provide an EKG recording of the heart's rhythm during the time it is worn. It can be used in the diagnosis of arrhythmias.
• Event Monitor
  An event monitor is a device used by a patient for a 30 day period, to provide an EKG recording of the heart's rhythm. It can be activated when the patient feels chest pain, dizziness or an irregular heartbeat coming on and can be used in the diagnosis of arrhythmias.

Our Staff

What is a Respiratory therapist?
Respiratory Therapists are a vital member of the health care team. They work alongside doctors and nurses to assure the adequacy of the respiratory system. The Respiratory Therapist works with patients of all ages- from the premature infant with underdeveloped lungs to the eldest elderly suffering the effects of chronic lung disease. Anyone of any age in need of help in the treatment or prevention of lung disease is in need of the services of a Respiratory Therapist

Maine Coast Memorial Hospital’s full service Cardio Pulmonary department treats patients with breathing problems and offers a complete range of inpatient, outpatient diagnostic testing and analysis.  We perform a number of procedures daily to assist physicians in accurately diagnosing illnesses and conditions.

Respiratory Therapy concentrates upon the treatment and care of those patients whose ability to breathe has been compromised through lifestyle, disease or accident.

The department is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by licensed/registered therapist.  The cardio pulmonary staff treats you from the emergency room, Intensive care unit, outpatient surgery, out patient pulmonary rehabilitation to discharge from our facility.

Competency:
The capability of each respiratory care practitioner is verified annually through extension skills testing.

Continuing Education:
Each member of our clinical team is required to augment their professional competence by accumulating 15 continuing education credits every 2 years.

• Kenneth Christian MD,
  Medical Director
• Tina Reiff,
  Department Director

The whole staff of the Respiratory Department here at Maine Coast Memorial Hospital are at your disposal.

People are Talking About the Pulmonary Rehab Program at Maine Coast Memorial Hospital!

"The therapists helped me to be more independent."
"I CAN BREATHE BETTER!"
"I should have talked to my doctor sooner!"
"My quality of life was made better by working with the Rehab therapist."
"I look forward to going to my sessions."
"I cut down on my overall medical costs by going to Rehab!"

Pulmonary Rehabilitation programs have been around for many years now, but many of you may not know what a quality program looks like or understand its importance and benefit.

About Pulmonary Rehabilitation

What Are the Benefits of Pulmonary Rehabilitation?
Some benefits of exercise are

• Improved sense of well-being
• Increased endurance
• Decreased depression
• Decreased shortness of breath (or at least desensitizing to the feeling of SOB)
• More independence
• Decreased anxiety
• Improved immune system

For many graduates, the program has been able to help:

• Control and alleviate symptoms
• Increase exercise tolerance
• Decrease anxiety and depression commonly associated with pulmonary disease
• Learn more about their disease
• Feel better about themselves

Who Should Attend Pulmonary Rehabilitation?
The program is designed for patients with pulmonary diseases, such as emphysema, asthma, and chronic bronchitis…

• Whose shortness of breath compromises their lifestyle
• Who want to learn more about their disease
• Who want to learn ways to improve their breathing
• Who want to increase their exercise endurance

Patients admitted to the Pulmonary Rehabilitation program will generally demonstrate:

• Medical stability
• Dyspnea due to Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease
• Sever functional limitation from Chronic Lung Disease
• Interest and motivation toward Pulmonary Rehabilitation
• Inability to participate in outpatient Pulmonary Rehabilitation
• No other interfering or unstable medical conditions

Through breathing retraining, regular exercise, proper nutrition, and respiratory treatments you can dramatically improve your breathing ability.

The Process

How can Pulmonary Rehab help YOU?
Pulmonary Rehab has been shown to reduce hospitalizations and medical services, improve quality of life, decrease anxiety and depression, improve self-reliance, increase the ability to perform daily tasks, increase the understanding of lung disease and function. In some patients it is possible to decrease the need for supplemental oxygen and some medications.

What’s Involved?
Your therapist at Maine Coast Memorial Hospital will assess your individual needs, develop goals with you, and work up a plan that will be the most help for you and what your unique needs are.
Other members of the team are physical therapist, social workers, dietitians and pharmacist. Each one is available to you to meet your needs.
Your program may involve training in breathing techniques, use of light exercise equipment, medication use, and oxygen therapy. We will do what it takes to help you in your fight to breathe.
Your therapist will continue to monitor your progress as you reach for the goals that are set by you and your therapist.

How many times can I come?
Statistics show that you get the most benefit out of the program by coming twice a week. We normally see patients twice a week for up to 36 weeks or however lon insurance allows.

Can I bring someone with me?
We do encourage family and others to participate and we feel that those around you can also help provide the support that you may need. We are here for you and will do everything possible to insure your success in accomplishing your goals.

Who Needs Pulmonary Rehab?

Would I be a good candidate for Rehab?
If you have known lung disease or shortness of breath or have a chronic cough, you would most likely qualify for Pulmonary Rehabilitation. We are already helping many people just like you.

If you have:

• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
• Asthmatic Bronchitis
• Chronic Bronchitis
• Asthma
• Emphysema
• Bronchiectasis
• Cyctis Fibrosis
• Lung Resection
• Lung Transplant
• Interstitial Fibrosis...

How do I get started?
Ask your doctor or PA today if Pulmonary Rehabilitation is right for you. Come on, what are you waiting for? You could be feeling and breathing better.

Insurance

Most insurance companies cover these services. We will assist in helping you with these details. We can make sure that services are covered before you start your Pulmonary Rehab program. You won’t have to wonder if it will be paid or not.
A physician’s order is required. Speak to your provider today to start on your way to feeling better and getting more out of life.

For more information, please contact the Cardiopulmonary Department at Maine Coast Memorial Hospital at 664-5320 or toll free at 1-888-480-3840.

A Proven Model for Improving Health Care Outcomes

In 2005 our Cardio-Pulmonary Department began offering sleep studies to meet needs of area physicians requesting the service for their patients. It appears that our population is at high risk for many sleep disorders. With already more than 1022 patient studies being completed, our sleep lab professionals are observing that 80% are experiencing acute symptoms with a majority having apnea.

Sleep studies are performed by board registered polysomnographic technologists at the Sleep Center at Maine Coast Memorial Hospital. The Sleep Lab is affiliated with Neurology Associates of Bangor and is board accredited. Sleep apnea can affect any or all of the five stages of a night’s sleep, leading to many acute health problems such as diabetes II, hypertension, cardiac disease, obesity, energy level and mental health issues. People are now being treated to experience a new dawn in health giving sleep.