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Patient Education and Instruction
Patient education and instruction is very important when it comes to using durable
medical equipment. When our patients are delivered equipment they are throughly
instructed by qualified staff and are also given literature that revisits the operation
and maintenance of the equipment. Listed below is additional instruction for
some of the items we provide.
This document is our Oxygen (gaseous) Resource Handbook. It is the same one that you recieve upon your initial setup with home oxygen.
It gives you general guidelines for home oxygen and trouble shooting tips for
your concentrator and tanks.
What is Jaundice?
Jaundice is a temporary condition. It is an excess of bilirubin that has accumulated
in the fatty tissues of the skin, giving it a yellow color.
What is Bilirubin?
Bilirubin is nothing more than a naturally occurring molecule of the red blood
cells in our bodies. It is released into the bloodstream when red blood cells
break down. This reaking down of red blood cells occurs all the time as a normal
part of the constant renewing of our bodies. The level of bilirubin in our bodies
is of no concern since our livers break down the bilirubin so it is excreted.
In newborns, it is a little different. Infants are born with extra red blood cells
that provide the oxygen that is needed while the infant grows in the mother's
uterus. Once the baby is born, the excess red blood cells are broken down and
bilirubin begins to build up. Newborns have premature livers, which can not effectively
process the extra bilirubin so it builds up in the fatty tissues giving the skin
its yellowish color. In all newborns, it is normal for bilirubin to rise during
the first 3 or 4 days of life, peak, and slowly decline. In a few babies the
bilirubin rises beyond what is considered an acceptable level, so your physician
is practicing some "preventative medicine" by ordering phototherapy treatment.
Left untreated, high bilirubin levels can be toxic and possibly cause brain damage.
After treatment has begun, the baby's bilirubin level should be measured to make
sure that the therapy is effective. With the phototherapy treatment your physician
has ordered, your baby's bilirubin level should drop to an acceptable level in
a few days.
Phototherapy simply means "treatment with light." In phototherapy the special
light used causes the bilirubin to break down into a form that can be excreted
in the baby’s stool. This takes some of the burden off the liver and allows the
bilirubin to be excreted in larger amounts. It is a proven treatment that has
been in use for over 25 years. Until recently phototherapy was only done in the
hospital. Today, however, with the development of portable lights and now especially
with the WALLABY Phototherapy System, babies can be kept at home while treatment
takes place.
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Oxygen Therapy