36-4C-2. Respiratory care defined.

Respiratory care is the treatment, management, diagnostic testing, and care of patients with deficiencies and abnormalities associated with the cardiopulmonary system and associated aspects of other systems. Respiratory care includes observing, assessing, and monitoring signs, symptoms, reactions, general behavior, and general physical response of individuals to respiratory care, including determination of whether those signs, symptoms, reactions, behaviors, or general physical response exhibit abnormal characteristics; the administration of pharmacological, diagnostic, and therapeutic agents related to respiratory care; the administration of analgesic agents by subcutaneous injection or inhalation for performance of respiratory care procedures; the collection of blood specimens and other bodily fluids and tissues for, and the performance of, cardiopulmonary diagnostic testing procedures including blood gas analysis; the insertion of maintenance of artificial airways; the insertion of devices to analyze, infuse, or monitor pressure in arterial, capillary, or venous blood; development, implementation, and modification of respiratory care treatment plans based on assessment of the cardio-respiratory system, respiratory care protocols, clinical pathways, referrals and written, verbal, or telecommunicated orders of a physician; application, operation, and management of mechanical ventilatory support and other means of life support; hyper baric oxygen medicine; advances in the art of techniques of respiratory care learned through formal or specialized training; and the initiation of emergency procedures.

Source: SL 1993, ch 273, § 2; SL 2004, ch 245, § 2.