This condition may either be acute or chronic: An acute case of bronchitis may last between a few to 10 days where chronic bronchitis is ongoing. Symptoms of both acute and chronic bronchitis include wheezing, coughing, fatigue, chest discomfort or tightness, and coughing up mucus, which can be white, clear or yellowish-gray.

The cause of bronchitis varies. Acute cases are commonly caused by viruses, usually the same viruses that cause the flu and colds. Dust, air pollution and cigarette smoking are the main causes of chronic bronchitis. Should you or a loved one have this condition, find bronchitis treatment in Central Oregon at St. Charles Health System.

Expert bronchitis treatment at St. Charles Health System

The respiratory therapists at St. Charles Health System offer a range of treatment options for both acute and chronic bronchitis. Acute cases may be relieved by over-the-counter pain relievers and cough medicines, oral or inhaled steroids to help reduce the inflamed airways, or bronchodilator medications to open the airways to improve airflow. Chronic bronchitis may be helped by oxygen and bronchodilator therapy, but quitting smoking or avoiding secondhand smoke and other possible lung irritants are also effective. Pulmonary rehabilitation — breathing exercises that help you breathe more easily — may also be used to treat cases of chronic bronchitis.

For more information about bronchitis symptoms, causes or treatment or the respiratory services offered at St. Charles Health System, call 541-706-7715 to schedule an appointment or to speak to a physician.

St. Charles Health System offers expert bronchitis treatment in Central Oregon.

If you have asthma, your airways are always somewhat inflamed. However, when something triggers your symptoms, your airways become even more swollen and the muscles around the airways can tighten. This makes it more difficult for air to move in and out of the lungs, causing symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and/or chest tightness.
For many asthma sufferers, these symptoms are usually related to physical activity, and healthy people can even develop asthma symptoms only when exercising. Staying active is an important way to stay healthy, so asthma shouldn't keep you on the sidelines. Your physician can develop a management plan to keep your symptoms under control before, during and after physical activity.

Kinds of asthma

There are several kinds of asthma:

• Asthma that flares up during or after physical activity is called exercise-induced asthma (EIA) or exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB).
• People with a family history of allergies or asthma are more prone to developing asthma. Many people with asthma also have allergies. This is called allergic asthma.
• Occupational asthma is caused by inhaling fumes, gases, dust or other potentially harmful substances while on the job.
• Childhood asthma impacts millions of children and their families. The majority of children who develop childhood asthma do so before the age of five.

There is no cure for asthma. Even when you feel fine, you still have the disease and it can flare up at any time.
However, once it is properly diagnosed and you and your doctor arrive at a treatment plan, you will be able to manage your asthma and your quality of life will improve.

How asthma is treated

St. Charles Pulmonary Clinic providers offer quality treatment for Central Oregon patients with asthma. The St. Charles Pulmonary Clinic is the largest, most well-established respiratory care clinic east of the Cascades, and our pulmonologists are committed to helping patients live fuller, more active lives.

An allergist/immunologist is the best qualified physician in diagnosing and treating asthma. With the help of your allergist, you can take control of your condition and participate in normal activities.

Sometimes asthma symptoms are mild and go away on their own or after minimal treatment with asthma medication. Other times, symptoms continue to get worse.

When symptoms get more intense and/or more symptoms occur, you're having an asthma attack. Asthma attacks also are called flare-ups or exacerbations.

It is key to treat your asthma symptoms when you first notice them. This will help prevent the symptoms from worsening and causing a severe asthma attack. Severe asthma attacks may require emergency care, and they can be fatal.

Asthma is treated with two types of medicines: long-term control and quick-relief medicines. Long-term control medicines help reduce airway inflammation and prevent asthma symptoms. Quick-relief, or "rescue," medicines relieve asthma symptoms that may flare up.

For more information, or to schedule an appointment, contact us at 541-706-5860 today.

From allergy tests to medication prescription to life-style advice, St. Charles Health System offers patients a wide range of pulmonary services in Central Oregon.

Blood is your body’s delivery service. It brings oxygen and nutrients to different parts of the body and carries away the carbon dioxide that the body produces. Once the blood has run out of oxygen, it travels to your lungs where the carbon dioxide is filtered out and fresh oxygen is picked up. Then the blood cycles through the body again.

An arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis is a special test that can help determine how well your lungs are working. It measures the oxygen content and saturation of your blood, the pressure of oxygen and carbon dioxide dissolved in your blood, and your blood acidity. Combined, these factors can tell your doctor how well your lungs are moving oxygen into your blood and how well carbon dioxide is being moved out.

What makes this type of test unique from normal bloodwork is that the blood is drawn from an artery instead of a vein. This means that the blood being tested has just left your lungs and hasn’t traveled through the rest of the body yet.

When ABG analysis is needed

An ABG analysis is commonly performed to check for severe respiratory problems, or to see whether treatments for those issues are working. These conditions could include asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or cystic fibrosis. However, ABG analyses are also effective for measuring the blood acidity of people who are dealing with other health issues, such as:

• Heart failure
• Kidney failure
• Severe infections
• Sleep disorders
• Uncontrolled diabetes
• Drug overdose

An arterial blood gas analysis is not enough to diagnose a problem by itself, so this type of test is often done in combination with other tests.

Specialized respiratory care in Central Oregon

At St. Charles Health System, we believe that the road to recovery begins with understanding. That means using the right combination of tests at the right time to get a proper diagnosis. Our expert physicians and staff are thoroughly experienced with performing and analyzing ABG tests, so they know how to get the most out of this critical tool.

If you’re struggling with chronic respiratory problems, call St. Charles Respiratory Care today at 541-706-5860 to schedule an appointment with a pulmonary specialist.

St. Charles Respiratory Care offers a wide variety of tests and treatments for respiratory patients, including arterial blood gas analysis.

Airway management is a broad-based term that, in non-emergency health care, usually refers to allergy and asthma therapy. These airway management therapies include short-term (or rescue) medications and long-term medications.

Short-term medications treat symptoms once they occur. They include bronchodilator medications that relax the bronchial smooth muscles that control the airways into and through the lungs. Short-acting inhaled medications are taken as needed to relieve immediate symptoms.

Long-term medications include anti-inflammatory and bronchodilator medications that help prevent symptoms from occurring by treating airway inflammation and airway obstruction.

Corticosteroids applied via inhalers are taken daily to prevent symptoms and keep asthma under control. Sometimes, oral corticosteroids are used longer term to control severe chronic asthma. Short courses of oral corticosteroids are used to help reverse the increased inflammation of a severe acute episode, speed recovery and prevent recurrence.

For more information, or to schedule an appointment, contact us at 541-706-5860 today.

From allergy tests to medication prescription to life-style advice, the specialists at the St. Charles Pulmonary Clinic offer Central Oregon a wide range of pulmonary services.

Sources: NIH.com, American Association for Respiratory Care

Respiratory therapists care for people who have trouble breathing — and help them breathe easier. At St. Charles, our team of physicians and respiratory therapists use specially developed protocols to determine each patient’s plan of care, and adjust the course of action for every individual’s condition. The result? Better respiratory care for faster recovery.

We provide respiratory therapy for patients with:

• Asthma
• Bronchitis
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Emphysema
• Neuromuscular and metabolic disorders
• Pneumonia
• Pulmonary Fibrosis

We also help people with respiratory complications from heart attacks, trauma, premature birth, cystic fibrosis, lung cancer, AIDS and more. Our respiratory therapists serve patients on an outpatient basis as well as throughout St. Charles Health System's four hospitals, providing coverage 24-hours-a-day.

Our respiratory therapy services include:

• Airway management
• Arterial blood gas analysis
• Bronchodilator therapy (widening of airway passages)
• Invasive mechanical ventilation
• Non-invasive mechanical ventilation
• Oxygen therapy
• Pulmonary (lung) hygiene therapy

For more information

Contact Blake Andrews, manager of respiratory care, at 541-706-5860 or email [email protected].

If you are calling outside of business hours, please contact the appropriate hospital's main line.

Comprehensive Specialty Care

Conveniently located at the Bend, Redmond, Prineville and Madras hospital campuses, our rehabilitation uses an integrated approach to provide ongoing care for adults and children.

• Geriatric Rehabilitation
• Balance Rehabilitation
• Dizziness and Vestibular Rehabilitation
• Vision Therapy
• Group Exercise Classes
• Neurological Rehabilitation
• Stroke
• Multiple Trauma
• Spinal Cord Injury
• Head Injury
• Oncology Rehabilitation
• Energy Conservation
• Independent Living Skills
• Voice and Fluency
• Cognitive Retraining
• Augmentative and Alternative Communication
• Pediatric Rehabilitation
• Fine Motor Skills and Coordination
• Speech and Language Disorders
• Osteoporosis
• Wheelchair Seating and Positioning
• Hand Therapy

Services vary by location.

Getting started with rehabilitation

A physician referral is required for the initial evaluation. Please call our clinic to schedule an appointment. Plan on arriving 15 minutes early for registration with your prescription for therapy, current insurance card, list of current medications and your questions.

Care for all your needs

In addition to routine laboratory testing, we excel at emergency services. Our laboratory is the only certified Blood Bank in Central Oregon and is registered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). We strive to provide courteous personal service on the phone and in person.

Community-based laboratory testing

• Blood draws (including weekends)
• Same-day test results for routine tests
• Electronic test order and result options for providers
• Automated, fast, accurate sample processing and retrieval for test additions
• Self-ordered screening tests
• Courier service throughout Central Oregon

Accreditation and Certification

When should I go to the Emergency Department?

The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) offers a list of warning signs that indicate a medical emergency. They include:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Chest or upper abdominal pain or pressure
• Fainting, sudden dizziness, weakness
• Changes in vision
• Confusion or changes in mental status
• Any sudden or severe pain
• Uncontrolled bleeding
• Severe or persistent vomiting or diarrhea
• Coughing or vomiting blood
• Suicidal feelings
• Difficulty speaking

We also created this easy-to-use guide to determine when to seek each level of care.

How can I tell if my child needs to go to the Emergency Department?

Always get immediate medical attention if you think your child is having a medical emergency. Symptoms that are serious for a child may not be as serious for an adult. Children may also be unable to communicate their conditions.

Does St. Charles offer an Urgent Care Clinic for less critical conditions?

St. Charles Urgent Care has locations in Central Oregon for patients with less critical illnesses and injuries, such as a sprained ankle or minor respiratory illnesses. Urgent Care patients receive affordable, quality, walk-in care as quickly as possible. Click here for urgent care clinic location information.

How long will I wait to see a doctor?

Your wait time will depend on the seriousness of your injury or illness. Your condition will be evaluated upon arrival, and we make every effort to reduce wait time. Patients needing critical care receive treatment first.

When do I pay for my treatment?

We will evaluate and care for every patient who comes to our Emergency Department, regardless of ability to pay. Insurance and payment information is collected after the situation is no longer an emergency. Financial counselors are available to help with payment options.

May I have visitors in the Emergency Department?

Visitors must receive permission from the patient's nurse and follow our Emergency Department Visitor Guidelines.

What should I do after I leave the Emergency Department?

Patients receive instructions for aftercare when discharged from the Emergency Department. Treatment received at the Emergency Department is on an emergency basis only. You are advised to visit your own physician for follow-up care. You may call or return to the Emergency Department if you're unable to see a physician and your condition gets worse.

The Emergency Departments at our four hospitals are open 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week to provide care for all. Everyone visiting our Emergency Departments — regardless of ability to pay — will receive care.

Our Certified Trauma Centers

St. Charles Bend is designated as a Level II Trauma Center by the Oregon Public Health Division and is the only Level II Trauma Center east of the Cascades. St. Charles Redmond, St. Charles Prineville and St. Charles Madras are all certified Level IV Trauma Centers. We have one of the most extensive coverage areas in the continental United States spanning from the Columbia River Gorge, east to Idaho and down into parts of Northern California. Our hospitals are affiliated with AirLink for emergency transports.

Our Team

Our staff includes board-certified emergency medicine physicians, nurses trained and certified in emergency care, as well as specialized medical professionals.