Obstructive Lung Disease: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Management
Presented by Ellen Hillegass and Morgan Johanson
Nonfinancial: Ellen Hillegass is a volunteer with the Academy of Cardiovascular & Pulmonary PT of the APTA. She has no competing nonfinancial interests or relationships with regard to the content presented in this course.
Financial: Morgan Johanson is the president of Good Heart Education, a web-based continuing education company. She receives payment as contributing author of Essentials of Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy. She receives compensation from MedBridge for this course.
Nonfinancial: Morgan Johanson is the professional development chair for the Academy of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Physical Therapy. She has no competing nonfinancial interests or relationships with regard to the content presented in this course.
This course is meant for rehabilitation professionals working with patients with obstructive lung disease and will provide an overview of the commonly seen obstructive lung diseases. Risk factors and causes will be presented, as well as explanations of how the diseases progress, including a discussion of the diagnostic testing and medical management of the diseases. In addition, determining severity of the obstructive disease and prognosis will help clinicians accurately select interventions and prescribe exercise safely in all practice settings. Fully understanding obstructive pulmonary diseases and their progression is often beyond entry-level education. This course will apply the pathophysiology of obstructive lung disease to a case study to be able to choose appropriate interventions.
Meet your instructors
Ellen Hillegass
Dr. Ellen Hillegass is a physical therapist with APTA board certification in the cardiovascular and pulmonary clinical specialty. She is currently a professor on the core faculty at South College Knoxville and South College Atlanta and is an adjunct professor at Mercer University in Atlanta in the department of physical…
Morgan Johanson
Morgan Johanson has more than 20 years of experience practicing physical therapy in the cardiovascular and pulmonary patient population. She is a board-certified cardiovascular and pulmonary specialist and an APTA-certified advanced clinical instructor. Morgan is the president of Good Heart Education, a continuing education…
Chapters & learning objectives
1. Overview of Obstructive Lung Disease
This chapter will describe the characteristics, causes, and consequences of obstructive lung disease, including musculoskeletal, cognitive, functional mobility, and ADL deficits. This is important for helping clinicians understand the dysfunction and deficits seen in patients with obstructive lung disease and for clinicians to help educate patients on disease prevention.
2. The Pathophysiology of Emphysema, Chronic Bronchitis, Asthma, and Other OLDs
This chapter will explain the specific pathophysiology and progression of emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and asthma. It is important to understand the differences between the obstructive lung diseases, as different interventions may be indicated for each subtype of obstructive lung disease.
3. Diagnostic Testing and Medical Management of Obstructive Lung Disease
This chapter will outline the various diagnostic tests used to diagnose obstructive lung disease and the medical interventions used to treat obstructive lung diseases. It will include instruction on how to determine severity and prognosis of disease. Determinations about appropriate rehabilitation management can be made based on the severity and the medical management of the disease.
4. Physical Therapy Interventions for Obstructive Lung Disease
This chapter will discuss the physical therapy interventions used to treat obstructive lung diseases, including functional mobility training, strengthening exercises, aerobic exercises, airway clearance techniques, and breathing exercises. Strategies to assist with shortness of breath and monitoring needs during therapy sessions will also be discussed.
5. Obstructive Lung Disease Case Study
Information from an obstructive lung disease case study will be discussed to determine appropriate severity, prognosis, and interventions. Application of the information to a case study is important for transfer of knowledge of the didactic material.
More courses in this series
Obstructive Lung Disease: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Management
Ellen Hillegass and Morgan Johanson
Restrictive Lung Disease: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Management
Ellen Hillegass and Morgan Johanson
Outpatient Physical Therapy Management of Pulmonary Disease
Ellen Hillegass and Morgan Johanson
Outpatient Physical Therapy Management of Cardiovascular Disease
Ellen Hillegass and Morgan Johanson
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