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Any Respiratory Therapist On The Forum?


jmhester

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When you come out of surgery (especially if you are a smoker), they send the respiratory therapist to make you "vape" on this little pipe thing. They load it up with a fluid that I suppose is to help clear your lungs. I was wondering if anybody knew what that liquid contained? Seems like it would be a good addition to some juice to help clear out your lungs. Wouldn't it be a hoot if it was PG? :lol:

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Well it has been a very long time since I had to pick my brain about my respiratory training.

What you are receiving is a nebulizer treatment. More than likely, it is Albuterol mixed with saline in the nebulizer. The nebulizer creates a very fine mist. Albuterol is a bronchodilator that relaxes muscles in the airways and increases air flow to the lungs. They use it not only to open up your airway (alveoli, sacks in your lungs that are responsible for gas exchange) but the treatment itself will also help loosen up all the sputum (gunky stuff) that they want you to cough up. I know it sounds awful and very painful to cough after heart surgery. That is the reason for the little pillow to hold to your chest when coughing. It keeps you from bursting the sutures holding your sternum together. The nebulizer treatment allows for better dispersement of the drug to the farthest parts of the lungs. Albuterol does not fix or repair the damaged parts of your lungs from smoking.

Okay I think I got it.

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That's what I figured but I wasn't sure. I'm VERY familiar with Albuterol but from another "use" in performance enhancement. :showoff:

Unfortunately, it's prescription if I recall. I was seriously thinking about bodybuilding suppliments in juice. Maybe something like an NO precursor like arginine. I would assume it would find it's way into the blood stream much faster via the lungs. Might boost performance elsewhere, too! :rolleyes:

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That's what I figured but I wasn't sure. I'm VERY familiar with Albuterol but from another "use" in performance enhancement. :showoff:

Unfortunately, it's prescription if I recall. I was seriously thinking about bodybuilding suppliments in juice. Maybe something like an NO precursor like arginine. I would assume it would find it's way into the blood stream much faster via the lungs. Might boost performance elsewhere, too! :rolleyes:

There are steroids that are used for inhalation purposes. They also are delivered in the same manner. Most of the steroids delivered are used for treatment of COPD and asthma. Some of the side effects of these steroids is weight gain, as you know. Again, they are all by prescription.

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Nebulizer it is indeed.

I did a Wiki search on Nebulizer and lookie what it said in the last sentence of the 4th paragraph.

However, electronic nebulizers are more expensive. Piezoelectric nebulizers are used in electronic cigarettes.

I wish that were true. If it were, we would have atomizers that last a lot, lot longer. Our atty just use a simple coil. If somebody would develop a piezo model, it would be way more efficient and more durable for sure.

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I wish that were true. If it were, we would have atomizers that last a lot, lot longer. Our atty just use a simple coil. If somebody would develop a piezo model, it would be way more efficient and more durable for sure.

Hmmm, wonder who wrote that and what made them think that was in an ecig??

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