Need a Harmonica player for your band?

I found this interesting article from the Arizona Republic about a program at the John C. Lincoln hospital in Phoenix Arizona.

Basically it is a class put on by Mike Clark, a registered respiratory therapist at the hospital where patients with mainly COPD are learning to play the Harmonica. By using the harmonica these patients can hear exactly how they are breathing along with learning a instrument and getting some PEP therapy along with it I'm sure. They used to use therapies for strengthening their lungs by blowing out candles, walking treadmills or blowing up small balloons but it sounds like this one is a bit more fun.

I have to say therapy must be easier to do and stay with it is interesting and fun. Can't help but be a little impressed with this "alternative therapy". I have noticed over the years that the people who do get this highest amount on their Incentive Spirometry seem to have played some type on instrument in the past, mostly it seemed to be a trumpet like instrument where you purse your lips to play. Well I don't smoke but if I ever get COPD, I'm taking up the trumpet.



In another note I was asked for a update on a patient I had recently blogged about so here is a update:

This patient is currently still on the ventilator but we were able to finally get the inspiratory pressures down in the mid to upper 20's on pressure control. The ABG's had PH's in the 7.20 range for about 3 days in a row with no improvement. Overall what seems to be happening to this person is backing up with fluid. There was a 9 pound gain in weight over my last night's shift. Today dialysis was given and over 5 liters were taken off and guess what happened? We were able to drop the PC pressure to 22 and the PO2 from the first gas after the Dialysis on 70% was in the 100's finally, before the last 3-4 days we were lucky to get it in the 50's. Now this isn't first round of dialysis but it seemed to be a bit more effective after the fluid was removed this time around. Think maybe we might be on the upswing with this one.

I might blog a bit more tonight if I can remember the other topic I wanted to talk about, sounded good at the time now It's slipped my mind.

Drive on all and hope you had a great Holiday.

The Lungs have the Sound of Music.

Breath sounds, breath sounds, breath sounds. We all know and love them and listen to them daily but did you ever stop and think that there is a certain breath sound that you really enjoy hearing?

Fortunately tonight I have had the time to contemplate this and I came to the conclusion that there is a certain breath sound I really like the sound of. So much so that I much just try and get it onto my IPOD, or even better yet...as a ring tone.

So I'm sure everyone is in suspense wondering what the breath sound is that I find audibly pleasing, well wait no more because my favorite breath sound is the great and powerful CRACKLES!!! Why this one? Well it has a deeper bass sound and there is a range of pitches in this sound. The beginning of the crackles there is a faint noise of the crackling, then it gradually increases to the loudest sound, which this process in the musical world is called a crescendo, and then the process reverses and its gone. During the crescendo of a breath sound there is also the sound of the cracks, cracking on and off so you have a variety of sounds in this lung sounds. Yeah for pneumonia and CHF.

Anyways that's my take on my favorite lung sound, does anyone else have a favorite or is it just me? Could you imagine hearing Crackles or wheezes as a ring tone, would that not freak some people out. Oh my Gawd that person is having a Asthma Attack!!!!

Here is a website I found a long time ago called Lung Sounds, but on here are audio files you can click on and listen to different sounds I found this years ago in school and surprisingly it is still online and it is in my Respiratory Link section so enjoy.

Until next time Drive on RT's