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 When Melanie Canete celebrated her ninth birthday on Aug. 8, she
did not celebrate with kids her own age. Chronic lung disease
and Sjogren's Syndrome—an immune system deficiency—prevent her
from being around other kids. Instead, she enjoyed a birthday
cake decorated with a Disney’s “High School Musical” theme with
her parents and two younger sisters.
Melanie was born in Naples and immediately rushed to a Tampa
hospital to be placed on an ECMO machine, which delivered blood
and oxygen to her heart and lungs. At 7 months old, Melanie was
transferred to The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. Her
chronic lung disease and severe respiratory failure meant that
Melanie needed to go back on the ECMO machine, but the
respiratory therapists used a high frequency oscillator, which
inflates the lung and then pulses air in and out 400-600 times a
minute and is less damaging to lungs than conventional ventilation.
Melanie has been hospitalized at The Children’s Hospital many
times, and her mother, Elisa, says the doctors and nurses are
always wonderful, but the respiratory therapists are the ones
who keep Melanie alive every minute of the day.
Respiratory therapists—also known as RTs—evaluate, treat, and
care for patients with breathing or other cardiopulmonary
disorders, such as asthma or emphysema. They have many roles,
from administering oxygen or delivering aerosolized medications
to managing life support equipment such as ventilators. RTs are
often the first to arrive at the bedside when a patient is in
cardiac or respiratory distress and work closely with physicians
and nursing staff.
RTs work in recovery rooms, emergency departments, radiology,
neonatal intensive care unit, sleep labs, cardiac catheterization
labs, critical care units and just about every patient area of the
hospital. They must complete an associate degree and take a national
licensing exam. Many students choose to pursue a bachelor’s degree,
which, by 2015, will be required to sit for board certification in
respiratory therapy.
Kim Schramm, RRT, Respiratory Care Supervisor for HealthPark
Medical Center, has been treating Melanie for more than eight
years. “Melanie is able to wear a mask that delivers medication
and adjusts her lung pressure. It is less invasive than using
tubes, and gives her the freedom to eat, drink and talk like a
normal 8-year-old,” says Kim.
Melanie is not eligible for a lung transplant until the age of
12. She will continue daily breathing treatments at home to keep
her airways open and clear until she is old enough for a
transplant.
To learn more about The Children's Hospital of Southwest
Florida,
click here.
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