Respiration refers to the act of breathing. Inspiration of oxygenated air and expiration of carbon dioxide out of the lungs is the complete process of respiration. If you feel difficulty breathing, it is considered a health issue. To maintain good health, accurate respiration is needed by the human body. The healthy breathing range lies between 12 and 16 breaths per minute.
Breathing is the biological process of inhaling and exhaling in the environmental air, which ultimately leads to the chemical process of respiration that takes place in the body cells.
If a person cannot breathe normally because of any medical condition, artificial respiration is provided by several respiratory health products. A mechanical ventilator is one of them. Let’s have a glance at the major respiratory products necessary for a person’s health:
Major Respiratory Health Products
A wide range of respiration equipment is used in hospitals, intensive care units, anesthesia units, and surgery wards to provide artificial ventilation to the people undergoing medical procedures until they improve to respire on their own. Some of the major respiratory products include:
Spirometers
A spirometer is a medical device used to measure the volume of air inspired and expired by lungs. Above 80 percent score is normal for spirometry tests.
This is used in asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients to monitor their lung condition periodically and whether the treatment is effective enough to show some improvements. It is beneficial for:
- To diagnose lung condition.
- Diagnosing restricted lung activity.
- Check problems with obstruction airways.
- In pulmonary fibrosis to monitor respiration rate.
- To detect early symptoms of some chronic pulmonary disease.
Breathing bags
A breathing bag is a respiratory device used to provide help in breathing temporarily. A mask followed by an oxygen source is attached to a breathing bag. When a patient feels difficulty in breathing, a breathing bag face mask covers the patient’s nose and mouth. The patient feels oxygen flowing in the lungs resulting in easy ventilation.
These are used for the following purposes:
- To check peak inspiratory gas flow.
- Provide temporary breathes for the short term.
- Deliver positive pressure ventilation.
PEP devices
Positive expiratory pressure devices are used to create positive pressure with slightly active expiration. These are beneficial in cleaning the excessive secretions from the lungs improving the lung’s condition.
PEP devices can be in two forms either as a face mask to which expiratory resistors are attached. The second form is a mouthpiece with holes of varying diameters to apply expiration resistance.
PEP therapy must be performed in the presence of a health professional who can guide patients to use PEP devices properly with expiration limits. This is used in patients with bronchiectasis and other lung diseases with excessive secretions.
Automatic Positive Airway Pressure (APAP)
APAP is a respiratory product that maintains positive pressure throughout the airways. In this device, a face mask is connected to a pressure generator. This generator pushes air into the patient’s throat by a filter and helps in breathing. Many patients with acute respiratory disorders use APAPs to maintain the balance between the airways.
Modern technologies are introducing in almost all fields of medicine. Likewise, respiratory products are also emerging from their functionalities in surgery wards, ICUs and hospitals.
