Respiratory - Britain's Nurses Guide.

What do respiratory nurse specialists ?

They work in hospitals and in the community through a wide range of respiratory specialties . Respiratory specialist nurses advise on care management of patients with respiratory problems at home centers through the ITU . Respiratory specialist nurses evaluate and implement new ways to help patients breathing and are experts in their field with a wide knowledge range of respiratory complications .

What are the key factors in understanding respiratory problems ?

• The main function of the respiratory system is to achieve blood oxygen and carbon dioxide obtained from the blood.
• Oxygen is required by all cells in the body to create energy. A product of the process of creating energy is carbon dioxide .
• The excess carbon dioxide in the blood creates acidosis so should be exhaled.
• The upper respiratory tract is the nasal cavity , pharynx and larynx , where the air is humidified and heated and 'cleaned up ' .
• The lower respiratory tract is the trachea , the two bronchi , bronchi and lungs branches , which performs the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide .
• Gas exchange occurs in the alveoli of the lungs , which brings venous blood products exhaled and arterial blood then takes the oxygen throughout the body.
• The problems occur when there are difficulties in the realization of this gas exchange , either due to a mechanical or chemical malfunction in any part of the respiratory system 

What is asthma ?Is shortness of breath and wheezing caused by narrowing of the airways , often caused by irritants such as pollen , dust , smoking , infections and certain medications ( such as ibuprofen) . Vasodilator may be helped by the airways and avoid using inhalers triggers.

What is COPD / Pcode ?
Chronic Obstructive Airways Disease / Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease . These relate to a number of chronic conditions that affect the lungs including emphysema ( loss of elasticity in the alveoli which affects gas exchange ) and chronic bronchitis ( inflammation of the bronchi resulting in increased mucosa) . COPD / COPD results in tightening / narrowing of the airway and it is more difficult for air in and out . This can be avoided with bronchodilators , nebulizers and steroids - but the best help is to stop smoking and improve diet .

What are the accessory muscles , and who cares if people are using to breathe?
There are several muscles used to help breathing . The diaphragm contracts and moves down when you inhale to increase the capacity of the chest and relaxes and moves back to exhale to lower the capacity , the intercostal muscles in the rib cage do the same. This is the normal breathing. If we are also constantly using the muscles of the shoulders and neck ( to pull the shoulders back for our largest ribcage for more air) that suggests there may be a problem with the lack of air .

Why do we check arterial blood gases ?
Test is used in a small blood sample to see what the levels are pH and the partial pressures of oxygen and carbon dioxide . This tells us that if the gas exchange and ventilation is good and if the metabolism is affected

Why people moved from specifications to nasal oxygen masks when they have trouble breathing ?So we can say how much oxygen they are actually getting . Nasal specifications only deliver a certain volume of oxygen - so if you start breathing faster than decreases the percentage , but a mask can keep the percentage they receive.

More information
There the Association of Respiratory Nurse Specialists (ARNS ) to promote a higher level of respiratory nursing practice through leadership , education , professional development and influence the direction of respiratory nursing care .


The British Lung Foundation ( BLF ) is the only UK charity working for everyone affected by lung disease.
RCN discussion area for respiratory nurses