About The Department

We provide skilled, caring treatments to those patients needing relief from difficulties in breathing. We are charged to provide this care using state-of-the-art equipment, pharmaceutical agents, and physiotherapeutic techniques, incorporated with other health care professionals, as part of the total healthcare team. We are also charged to provide healthcare education and information to patients, families, and the community at large, to allow customers the opportunity to make informed healthcare decisions.

The respiratory care department is staffed with 30 respiratory care practitioners and has been a key part of the health care team since Crouse Hospital was opened. Presently the department is organized under the clinical and support services line and includes the above staff and secretaries.

Services

We have therapists and technicians who specialize in areas such as adult critical care, emergency medicine, pediatrics and neonatology.

The department is a clinical teaching site for four separate respiratory care educational programs at both the AS and BS level.

Our equipment team is completely self sufficient with in-house preventative maintenance and repair of all ventilators, oximeters, transcutaneous monitors and associated patient care equipment. Further responsibilities include the maintenance of all medical gas storage and delivery systems (liquid & cylinder) at all Crouse Hospital facilities.

Organization

The respiratory care department is essentially centralized organizationally, but has functioned in a quasi-decentralized fashion. All clinical therapists/technicians are required to rotate through the medical, surgical, pediatric and neonatal intensive care units and subacute units. Select clinical therapists/technicians participate in an adult/critical care core group, cardiac/pulmonary rehabilitation, pediatric/neonatal core group and neonatal transport team.

The department has developed and implemented patient-driven protocols such as: aerosol delivery protocol, noninvasive ventilation protocol and cystic fibrosis protocol. We have also played a key role in the development and implementation of Pneumonia clinical pathways, housewide asthma education program and oximetry/oxygen utilization protocols.

For More Information

Contact Robert Pikarsky at pikarsky.robert@crouse.org or 315/470-7129

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