Respiratory Therapy
Respiratory Care at Manning Family Children's
Helping children breathe easier
The Respiratory Care Department at Manning Family Children’s provides specialized care for infants, children, and adolescents with a wide range of breathing and cardiopulmonary conditions.
Our pediatric respiratory therapists work alongside physicians, nurses, and other members of the healthcare team to provide safe, compassionate, and evidence-based care. From helping a premature baby take their first breaths to supporting a child with asthma, pneumonia, or a complex respiratory and heart condition, our team is available around the clock to care for our patients and support their families.
Our respiratory team
Respiratory therapists are specially trained healthcare professionals who evaluate, treat, and monitor children with breathing difficulties and cardiopulmonary conditions.
Our respiratory therapists provide care throughout the hospital, including:
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
- Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)
- Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU)
- Emergency Department
- ECMO team
- Inpatient medical and surgical units
- Operating rooms and procedural areas
- Transport therapist
- Rehabilitation department
- Pulmonary clinics
Our respiratory therapists are active members of Code Blue, Rapid Response, trauma, and other emergency response teams throughout the hospital.
Respiratory education
Education is an important part of helping children successfully manage respiratory conditions after leaving the hospital.
Our respiratory therapists provide age-appropriate education for children and families on topics such as:
- Recognizing signs of respiratory distress
- Proper inhaler and spacer technique
- Nebulizer treatments
- Home ventilator and respiratory equipment
- Tracheostomy care
- Oxygen therapy
- Airway-clearance techniques
- Asthma medications
- Asthma action plans
We encourage parents and caregivers to ask questions and participate in their child’s care.
ECMO Program
For children with severe heart or lung failure who need the highest level of critical care, our respiratory therapists work as part of a specialized team providing advanced cardiopulmonary support.
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) is an advanced form of life support that may be used when a child’s heart or lungs are unable to provide enough support despite conventional treatment. ECMO temporarily supports the work of the heart and/or lungs, allowing the medical team time to treat the underlying condition and giving the child’s heart or lungs an opportunity to recover.
Our ECMO team is comprised of respiratory therapists and nurses. Our specially trained team members serve as ECMO specialists and provide bedside management of the ECMO circuit.
Our ECMO Team is nationally recognized by ELSO as a GOLD Level of care.
Specialized Respiratory Care for Every Stage of Childhood
Whether caring for a premature infant in the NICU, treating a child experiencing an asthma attack in the Emergency Department, supporting a critically ill child in intensive care, or teaching a family how to manage their home ventilator, our goal remains the same: to help every child breathe easier and live healthier.
The PHIL Award
Our Respiratory Care Department has partnered with The FACES Foundation's® to present the PHIL Award. This award is the only nationally recognized hospital-based recognition program dedicated to honoring outstanding respiratory therapists who provide exemplary care and treatment for patients with respiratory illnesses, as nominated by patients, family members and other caregivers. The PHIL Award was created in 2006 in honor of Philip C. Lamka, who passed away from Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD). The award honors and recognizes the unsung heroes in the respiratory profession who understand that each breath matters.
Nominate an outstanding respiratory therapist for the PHIL Award here.