Ventilators?

I started working for a peds home agency and they sent me to a 3 hr class to feel comfortable with vents. Is there a home health agency in your area that supplies homes with medical equipment,they might have a class? There is also a post I saw in the peds forum that had some websites to go to dealing with vents and trachs. Good luck!

In adult health the ventilator volumes are calculated by the respiratory company servicing the client. Very rarely do the volumes change in the home, the patients are discharged from the hospital and all of the parameters on the vent should have been determined by the discharging MD--you should not be calculating anything.

I've done pedi private duty before, and we oriented until the nurse was comfortable with the vent.

Most nurses who came to pedi private duty were not familiar with the vents and we oriented them until they were.

How long is your orientation to the patient? Were you allowed to attend a ventilator class? (Ours was taught by an RT that worked with the supply company). If not, ask them to attend one.

As for programming, all you do is turn it on and off :) Numbers are pre-set, and are just double checked against the order.

Also, remember there should be a supervisor on call 24/7 (been there!) And as much as they may not like being woken up, the patient comes first. Just make sure you are properly oriented to it, and they give you as much time as you need to learn the vent.

And last but not least, good luck on your new job!!

-Meghan

everyone who preceded me is pretty right on concerning orientation...but i wanted to add that these vents are designed for home use, so they are pretty user friendly and likely not as complex as those used for inpt care.

some things you'll want to make sure to know: how to operate the vent-powering on/off, testing the vent, troubleshooting alarms, location of backup power supply and how to switch them, this client's plan in the event of vent failure, location of backup circuit and how to construct a new one, documentation of vent checks and payer's documentation requirements, any maintenance responsibilites related to the vent that fall on your shifts. i'm sure this is not all-inclusive since it's been a few years since i've worked with vents....

good luck with your new job!

I work home health with someone who is on a vent continuously and can't stress enough the importance of knowing what to do in the event of a power failure. Don't let the client lull you in to a false sense of security with "this never happens". It happened to me during my orientation with a nurse who had taken care of this client for 10 years and we were able to hook up to an outside power source. Know where the battery/generator is, make sure it is on a treatment order to be maintained/charged and checked for power. You don't want to be caught alone with no plan. As for the rest, I agree that the vent is set by the company and you simply have to make sure it is running according to their numbers. Good luck!