Week 1

Common Respiratory Disease

Lower respiratory tract disease

Pleural disorders

Pulmonary disease

POCUS and sampling

Management

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Describe lower respiratory tract physiology and the disease processes seen in practice

Understand the different causes of pleural disorders

Understand the different causes of pulmonary disease

Identify the uses of POCUS and understand which patients may benefit from thoracocentesis

Describe how to manage the patient with acute respiratory distress

Week 2

Oxygen Therapy

How to identify a patient in need of oxygen therapy

Non-invasive methods of oxygen therapy

Invasive methods of oxygen therapy

Monitoring a response to therapy

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Understand which parameters are used to identify patients are in need of oxygen therapy

Describe which methods of non-invasive oxygen therapy are available and which is the most suitable for their patient

Describe which methods of invasive oxygen therapy are available and which is the most suitable for their patient

Discuss whether a patient is responding to oxygen therapy and when a decision may be made to discontinue oxygen support

Week 3

Blood Gases

Why do we use blood gas analysis?

How to take a sample for a blood gas analysis

What is Acid/Base?

Interpretation of a blood gas report

Compensation

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Understand why blood gas analysis is important for managing the respiratory patient

Describe how to take a sample for blood gas analysis

Understand Acid/Base status and what this means for the patient

Interpret a blood gas report using a step by step approach so that this can be transferred to your patients in practice

Understand the physiology behind compensatory mechanisms

Week 4

BOAS – From Admit to Discharge

Admit considerations

BOAS Plan

Anaesthesia considerations

Dealing with the BOAS crisis

Other nursing considerations

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

List the considerations which should be discussed with the owner when the patient is admitted to the hospital

Discuss safe ways of managing these cases whilst they are hospitalised to minimise complications

Understand how to make BOAS patients anaesthesia plans safer

Explain the concerns associated with a BOAS crisis and how to manage these

Describe other nursing considerations associated with these breeds and how we can factor these into our nursing care plans for hospitalised patients