Cardiopulmonary - EWC Hospital

Our Cardiopulmonary Department pledges to be an integral part of your cardiac and pulmonary treatment.

A qualified team is at the ready to assist in the diagnostic and therapeutic process, equipping physicians with the insight to lead to faster recoveries and brighter outcomes. We can assist doctors in the diagnosis of illness by providing services such as stress testing, pulmonary function testing and cardiac event monitoring. The department is outfitted with an echocardiogram laboratory, a clinical lab that has been performing procedures under The Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories since 2008.

Patients can schedule appointments for physician-approved services such as ventilator care and airway management, bronchial hygiene and a variety of lung therapies for patients experiencing difficulty breathing.

All outpatient procedures are scheduled between the regular hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Respiratory services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The department is located just past the entrance in the main hospital.

Tobacco cessation – quitters are winners!

The daunting challenge of transitioning from a smoker to a nonsmoker isn’t one to be faced alone. Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital’s tobacco cessation program encourages members of the community to kick the habit with us. We’ll share our toolbox of expert advice, up-to-date health education and support.

We offer a free class series to help smokers confront the dependency behind their addiction and overcome everyday triggers that send them reaching for a cigarette.

The course is comprised of three classes, which are offered throughout the year. The program culminates in a graduation upon the completion of all three classes. Nicotine can strike in many forms –chewing tobacco and snuff – and we welcome all tobacco users to join.

Free Asthma Education Classes

Lora Melton, Registered Respiratory Therapist and class instructor

As serious and critical as asthma can be for the over 25 million Americans living with it, the chronic condition can be a managed part of your lifestyle. Avoiding future asthma episodes can be as simple as recognizing triggers, creating asthma-friendly environments, and understanding that a little preparation goes a long way for controlling flareups when they hit.

Attendees will be encouraged to monitor their medications and keep an asthma journal, as well as learn management techniques from Lora Melton, an experienced respiratory therapist and certified asthma educator.

Triggers such as exposure to allergens, cigarette smoke, mold, dust and even stress trip the wire in your body to cause airways to swell and constrict air flow. The inflammation and thicker mucus production can lead you to experience:

• Severe coughing
• Wheezing
• Chest tightness and tightening of the neck muscles
• Shortness of breath

Constant coughing and wheezing shouldn’t be routine. If you’re using quick relief medication more than twice a week or are awakened more than twice monthly due to a flare up, you may not be in the driver’s seat of your disease. Frequent severe attacks leading to emergency treatment or oral steroid use are signs that it’s time to have a conversation with your primary care provider about a new asthma action plan.

If an attack goes unchecked, an episode can lead to unconsciousness due to lack of oxygen. Trips to the Emergency Department, or worse, the Intensive Care Unit, can be avoided with base line knowledge of the disease and an effective medication plan.