AARC celebrates Respiratory Care Week

To raise awareness for improving lung health internationally, the American Association for Respiratory Care, or AARC, annually recognizes Respiratory Care Week, occurring this year from October 23 to 29.

This year’s theme is Respiratory Therapists — Real Life Heroes. “No matter where you work in respiratory care, whether it’s neonatal-pediatrics, geriatrics, emergency care, pulmonary rehabilitation, acute care, home care, education, sleep or another specialty, your role as a respiratory therapist is to restore and improve lung heath to patient’s lives,” AARC wrote on their website.

To mark the occasion of Respiratory Care Week, Healio.com/Pulmonology has compiled a list of the top five stories that discuss the most recent research in respiratory care.

Telemedicine effective treatment option for asthma in children

New study data published in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology points to telemedicine as an asthma management option for children that is as effective as in-person visits to an allergist. Read More.

Overnight extubations associated with higher rates of mortality

Patients with mechanical ventilation who undergo extubation overnight have increased rates of ICU and hospital mortality compared to those who undergo extubation during the daytime, according to data published in JAMA Internal Medicine. Read More.

Respiratory societies update clinical guidelines for rare lung disease

The American Thoracic Society and the Japanese Respiratory Society have updated the clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of lymphangioleiomyomatosis, according to a recent news release. Read More.

COPD exacerbations associated with significant lung function loss

Acute exacerbations are related to significant long-term decline in lung function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, particularly among those with a mild form of the disease, according to findings published in American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Read More.

E-cigarettes linked with higher quitting success rate, provide no change in total quit attempts

Although e-cigarettes’ increased popularity in England has not coincided with a significant change in overall attempts to quit smoking, their prevalence appears positively associated with the success rate of individual quit attempts, according to data published in BMJ. Read More.

For more information: https://www.aarc.org/resources/programs-projects/respiratory-care-week/