Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety Announces Availability of Webinar About Respiratory Compromise -- a Potentially Deadly and Avoidable Condition

CHICAGO, Feb. 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety (PPAHS) is pleased to announce that the Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) webinar on respiratory compromise prevention, recognition and intervention is now available on the PPAHS YouTube Channel.

The webinar features the following clinicians from CUMC:

• Paul Boerem, ACNP, RT, Critical Care Nurse Practitioner and Certified Respiratory Therapist, Department of Medicine, Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care;
• Monica P. Goldklang, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine (in Anesthesiology)
  Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine;
• Steven E. Miller, MD, Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology (Moderator)
  Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine; and
• Amanda J. Powers, MD, Assistant Professor of Surgery (in Anesthesiology)
  Department of Surgery, Acute Care

The Respiratory Compromise Institute (RCI) ? a diverse coalition of 14 medical and safety organizations devoted to raising awareness about the condition ? defines respiratory compromise as a state in which there is a high likelihood of decompensation into respiratory insufficiency, respiratory failure or death, but in which specific interventions (enhanced monitoring and/or therapies) might prevent or mitigate decompensation.

"This webinar highlights how respiratory compromise is a serious, potentially deadly patient safety issue that may be avoidable when proper prevention and identification strategies are used, and when healthcare providers are equipped with comprehensive patient monitoring technology," explains Michael Wong, JD, Executive Director, PPAHS. "Education about the condition and how it can be prevented is vital to reducing its incidence. We encourage all clinicians to view the webinar to learn how they can provide the safest possible care for their patients, particularly those with risk factors that may increase their chances of developing respiratory compromise."

Risk factors for respiratory compromise include obstructive sleep apnea, older age, obesity and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease^1-2, in addition to receiving opioid administration.³

The webinar was made possible through an educational grant from Medtronic plc, one of the world's largest medical technology, services and solutions companies.

About Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety

Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety is a non-profit 501(c)(3) whose mission is to promote safer clinical practices and standards for patients through collaboration among healthcare experts, professionals, scientific researchers, and others, to improve healthcare delivery. For more information, please go to www.ppahs.org.

REFERENCES

1. Frederickson TW, Gordon DB, De Pinto M, et al. Reducing Adverse Drug Events Related to Opioids Implementation Guide. Philadelphia: Society of Hospital Medicine, 2015.
2. Karcz M, Papadakos PJ. Respiratory complications in the postanesthesia care unit: A review of pathophysiological mechanisms. Can J Respir Ther. 2013;49(4):21-29.
3. Jarzyna D, Jungquist CR, Pasero C, et al. American society for pain management nursing guidelines on monitoring for opioid-induced sedation and respiratory depression. Pain Manag Nurs. 2011;12(3):118-145. doi: 10.1016/j.pmn.2011.06.008.

SOURCE Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety (PPAHS)