Treatments

BiPAP (Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure)
Medical researchers have developed a number of therapies to assist patients with breathing problems. One of the most common is a Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure device, called BiPAP for short. BiPAP is typically a desktop ventilation system that that feeds air into the lungs through a mask worn over the face. It is non-invasive because it doesn’t require the surgical insertion of tubes or other medical devices to function.

BiPAP has the additional advantage of matching a patient’s respiratory pattern. The air pressure generated by the device during inhalation is reduced for the outbreath. This decreases the discomfort that some people feel with machine-assisted breathing, including single-pressure CPAP devices.

Bronchodilators
Bronchodilator therapy is a medical treatment for opening constricted airways in the lungs caused by asthma, COPD, and other respiratory ailments. Patients inhale a non-steroidal medication that relaxes the airway muscles, improving the flow of air and loosening mucous for discharge.

There are both short- and long-acting bronchodilators, depending on whether the breathing problem is sudden and acute or being managed for the duration. Several types of medication have been shown effective in opening narrowed air passages.

Mechanical Ventilation
Mechanical ventilation is a life-sustaining therapy for persons suffering from severe cardiopulmonary diseases and disorders. Ventilators supplant or supplement lung function by means of pumping oxygen-enriched air directly into the lungs, via a windpipe tube or neck hole, also called a tracheostomy.

Mechanical ventilation differs from non-invasive BiPAP or CPAP therapies, requiring a surgical procedure to be effective. Ventilators have proven successful in supporting respiratory activity in patients with curtailed breathing capacity, but can also lead to unwanted health risks and complications.

Oxygen Therapy
Oxygen is essential to life. It plays a key role in cellular respiration and other important biological functions. Because we breathe in this critical element with the air, persons suffering from respiratory conditions may not receive sufficient supplies of oxygen to maintain good health. 

Oxygen therapy refers to any of several different delivery systems that have been designed to boost an individual’s intake of this life-sustaining gas.

Pulmonary Function Test
Pulmonary function tests, or PFTs, are a set of diagnostic tools for measuring your lung health. PFTs often prove useful in identifying a previously undetected respiratory ailment or in tracking the development of an already-known condition.

Data from these tests include lung capacity, airflow strength, residual air volumes, peak performance rates, and degrees of gas exchange (oxygen for carbon dioxide). These numbers are compared to averages for individuals like you, to determine whether they fall within normal, healthy ranges.

Vapotherm High Velocity Nasal Insufflation
High-velocity nasal insufflation therapy, or HVNI, is an innovative new technology for treating individuals with a variety of serious respiratory conditions. It utilizes narrow tubing and a small nasal interface called a cannula to deliver oxygenated air at velocities great enough to dislodge waste gas from the lungs without the mechanical pressure of non-invasive positive-pressure (NIPPV) devices such as CPAP and BiPAP machines.

At the same time, it’s a less restrictive fit for patients than oxygen therapies requiring masks and far less invasive than tracheal intubations. Patients with HVNI are able to eat, drink, converse, and take oral medications, all while receiving breathing assistance. Baptist Health is using an HVNI system developed by Vapotherm®, the recognized leader in the field.