The Respiratory Care Department offers patients a variety of diagnostic and therapeutic options, including oxygen therapy, fiberoptic bronchoscopy, and a number of outpatient testing services, including pulmonary function testing and bronchial provocation testing.
Over 40 million Americans suffer from some type of chronic sleep disorder. The Sleep Disorders Center is equipped to diagnose and treat various types of sleep disorders, including insomnia, narcolepsy (inability to stay awake despite a good night's sleep), and sleep apnea (failure to breathe during sleep).
The Center is staffed by respiratory therapists and registered Polysomnographers specializing in sleep disorders. Patients are referred for evaluation and testing by their primary care physicians and monitored during an overnight stay at the Sleep Disorders Center.
In addition to testing and treatment, the Center's staff conducts frequent presentations for the community.
For more information on the Sleep Disorders Center, please click here
The 12-bed Intensive Care Unit combines the latest in critical technology with an exceptional staff of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals whose sole role is to care for the almost 1000 patients admitted annually to the ICU. A major enhancement is the use of physician intensivists-specially trained physicians who coordinate care for these critically ill patients. St. Clair Hospital is the only community hospital in Allegheny and Washington counties to have dedicated intensivists working in the Critical Care Units.
Working with the intensivists is a multidisciplinary team of professionals including critical care nurses, a pharmacist, a nutritionist, respiratory therapists, social workers and case managers. During the course of the patient's stay in the ICU, this team makes rounds allowing for immediate answers for questions and for physician's orders to be carried through before the team leaves that patient's side. This level of care has traditionally been found only in a university or tertiary care setting.
The 4B nursing unit is used primarily for pulmonary patients with pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) and asthma, but the staff cares for any patient diagnosis when necessary.
All of the beds have telemetry capabilities, a technology that allows the staff to continuously monitor patients from the nurses' station.
Nursing and the Respiratory staff also work together to provide education that impacts the patient and their long term quality of life.
The Pulmonary Rehabilitation program includes both inpatient and outpatient services in conjunction with St. Clair Hospital's Heart Center. This area includes the Second Wind Program, a complete Pulmonary Rehabilitation program that offers self-referred education classes and a physician-referred exercise program for people with pulmonary disease.
The Second Wind Education classes provide a multi-disciplinary team of healthcare providers designed to support individuals living with COPD as well as their families.
Registered Nurses and Certified Exercise specialists conduct the exercise portion of the program that combines outpatient exercise and ongoing education to help people manage potentially debilitating conditions such as asthma, emphysema and well as other types of chronic pulmonary problems.
To request a copy of our Second Wind brochure, click here or call 412-942-2000 or 412-942-2008.
