In an effort to bring awareness, education and celebration to the field dedicated to heart and lung disorders, the American Association of Respiratory Care is the official sponsor of the 2014 Respiratory Care Week Oct. 19-25. 

The Breath of Life campaign is aimed toward recognizing the respiratory care profession and the health issues that practitioners treat.

Respiratory practitioners, also known as respiratory therapists, evaluate and monitor heart and lung functioning and provide treatment for diseases related to those functions of the body. Some of the conditions that affect the respiratory system are chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, lung cancer, mesothelioma, sleep apnea, tuberculosis, cystic fibrosis and Alpha-1. 

COPD is a disease that refers to emphysema and chronic bronchitis damaging the lungs; symptoms include coughing, extreme mucus production, shortness of breath, wheezing and tightening of the chest. The symptoms are due to the obstruction of the airway caused by inflammation. According to the AARC, more than 16 million Americans have been diagnosed with COPD, and another 16 million may have the disease but not yet diagnosed. There is no cure for this condition; respiratory therapists aim to only treat symptoms and manage the effects. 

Asthma, a common disease that occurs in both children and adults, can be triggered by allergens, environmental factors and infections. The muscles surrounding the airways can tighten, making it difficult to breathe. For many people, this condition begins in childhood, but it can occur for the first time at any age. Respiratory care providers treat asthma by maintaining the most effective medication regimen for each patient. 

Among the most serious conditions that respiratory therapists treat is lung cancer. According to the AARC, more deaths occur from lung cancer than from prostate, breast and colorectal cancers combined. It is significantly correlated with smoking and is increasing in women. Because it is difficult to detect when there are no signs or symptoms, 40 percent of all lung cancer cases are diagnosed after the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Treatment includes slowing the growth of the cancer, keeping it from spreading, killing the cancer that has spread and relieving symptoms. 

Respiratory therapists provide treatment in a variety of ways including surgery for diseases such as mesothelioma, dental and medical devices for sleep apnea and AAT replacement therapy for Alpha-1. The AARC provides a resource website called YourLungHealth.org, which provides detailed information on all of the diseases associated with respiratory care and the treatments involved. The site also offers tips on how to live a healthy life with healthy lungs. Because many lung conditions can be correlated with smoking, the website provides many resources to quit smoking and how to find the best quality care. 

Respiratory Care Week, according to the AARC, was created to celebrate and honor respiratory therapists for their contributions, motivate patients and their families to battle against lung disease, educate the community on the conditions related to the respiratory care field, encourage others to enter the profession and teach both professionals and the community about new skills and resources. 

Established in 1982, Respiratory Care Week encourages those in the field to organize activities and community events to get others involved in the field. AARC suggests a variety of ideas in creating awareness including recognizing staff and everyone involved in respiratory care, inviting students to visit respiratory care offices, holding community events that focus on lung health and getting public relations involved in recognizing Respiratory Care Week.

There are number of organizations dedicated to advocating for the respiratory profession and continuing research within the field. The American Respiratory Care Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports research, education and charitable activities. There is also the National Board of Respiratory Care and the Committee on Accreditation of Respiratory Care. 

According to the Mayo School of Health Sciences, the field of respiratory care is expected to increase faster than average through the year of 2018. There will reportedly be a substantial growth in the field and have a variety of job opportunities. The career field is a combination of medical technology and interpersonal patient interaction. Because of the range of conditions associated with lung health, respiratory therapists provide many different modalities of care. For a video on the respiratory care field, visit www.aarc.org.