In this specialty area the therapists treat patients whose disease process requires intensive care either because of recent major surgery, severe trauma, acute illness, or an acute worsening of a chronic condition. Such care often includes the management of life-support equipment. As critical care itself becomes more specialized, attention has been focusing on the cardiovascular areas. Advanced monitoring techniques in this area give the physician and therapist valuable knowledge critical to patient management. The respiratory therapist is intimately involved in the rehabilitation process for patients with crippling pulmonary disease.
Many hospitals specialize in specific procedures or types of treatment.
This requires the patient to be transported by land or air to a specific hospital. Respiratory therapists may specialize in flight therapy to attend and support critically ill patients in transport. As more respiratory programs open all over the world, the need for qualified instructors increases steadily. The combination of didactic and clinical instruction presents the well-trained therapist with a challenge that can be very rewarding. With the cost of hospital care increasing, more and more health care is provided in the home.