Thursday March 6th Kaskaskia College hosted the 3rd annual ISRC Chapter 4 Kaskaskia College Respiratory Care Conference.

Five speakers addressed the audience of 120 attendees on various topics dealing with respiratory care and practice. The conference was also attended by 10-vendors including: SISA, Draeger Medical, Tri-Anim, Pel-VIP, Maquet Inc, Bemes, Respironics, Deaconess Hospital, Carle Foundation Hospital, and Mobile and Medical Mainenance Co. The evening included a poster presentation exhibiting 30 posters put together by the Sophomore class of the Kaskaskia Respiratory Care Program. Two of the posters won scholarships to attend the Illinois Society for Respiratory Care annual state conference in Chicago Illinois this coming May. Attendees were treated to a fine meal put together by the Kaskaskia college culinary arts program.

The program consisted of the following sessions

Session 1 Terry DesJardins

• Terry DesJardins has been a practicing respiratory therapist since 1974. He has a Masters degree from the University of Illinois at Champaign Urbana in Education with an emphasis in health occupation education. For the last 24 years he has been teaching for Parkland College's Respiratory Therapist Program and is currently the Program Director. He is also the author of numerous textbooks and journal articles. In fact he is the author of the pathophysiology that we use at the Kaskaskia College Respiratory Care program and is one of the reasons that our program puts out such fine students. His lecture was entitled: Therapist Driven Protocols and Clinical Scenarios Associated with Restrictive and Obstructive Lung Disorders

• Synopsis:

  • The basic paradigm for respiratory therapy protocols (TDPs) has been in place for over a decade. Research has clearly shown that when TDPs are applied to Restrictive and Obstructive lung disorders that (1) the overall quality of patient care improves, (2) the need for respiratory care decreases, and (3) the cost of respiratory care is significantly reduced.

Session 2 Curtis Kretschmer

• Curtis Kretschmer has been a respiratory therapist since 1996. He has been in southern Illinois since 1997 and has been teaching since 1999. Curtis has a Bachelors degree in Human Biology from Brigham Young University and his respiratory education from Weber State University in Utah. Although he has been a full time teacher for much of his career, he has always had an affinity for working with children, so, after a few years working at St. Elizabeth's hospital in Belleville and putting in some time with Apria and Wood River Township hospital he found his clinical niche in St. Louis, at Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center, where he in on the transport team, and has worked weekends, summers, and holidays for the last 7 years. He is probably most proud of his family of 4 children and his beautiful wife Colleen who is a nurse and whom he recruited to work at Glennon as well. He calls the occasional Friday nights when he works with his wife "Date night at Glennon" His lecture was entitled: Fixing Little Wheezers - Treatment of childhood wheezing.

• Synopsis:

  • Not all that wheezes is asthma. We will review many (but not nearly all) of the conditions that may lead to the auscultation of wheezing in the pediatric patient. There will be a brief review of how wheezing is differentiated from other adventitious breath sounds. Clinical examples and case studies will be explored and exploited for the purpose of education of the attendees.

Session 3 Dr Anthony Vacca

• Dr. Anthony Vacca is a local practicing Pulmonologist and works out of Mt Vernon Illinois. Dr Vacca is a doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and graduated from the University Of New England College Of Osteopathic Medicine in 1988 following a master's of science degree from Villanova and a BS from LaSalle University in Philadelphia PA. He has acted as director of Respiratory Services at several hospitals and is currently the Director of the intensive care unit, respiratory services and the Chairman of Critical Care Committee at Good Samaritan Hospital in Mt. Vernon IL. Our students have been lucky to prosper under the occasional tutelage of Dr Vacca in the ICU and endoscopy unit at Good Sam. He is a former teacher of the year. Dr Vacca is currently is board certified in Pulmonary and Internal Medicine and Critical Care Medicine. Dr Anthony Vacca's presentation was entitled: Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency Disease

• Synopsis:

  • Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency Disease or familial emphysema is a genetic disorder of a liver enzyme. Through a chain of biochemical interactions the lungs loose elastance and thereby deteriorate. This disease leads to deterioration of lung function and obstructive lung disease. Genetic testing now exists for the identification of individuals at risk for this disorder. Prophylactic pharmaceuticals also have been developed for the treatment of this condition thereby preventing lung damage.

Session 4 Doug Cannon

• Doug Cannon graduated from Vincennes College in respiratory care in 1985 and spent several years working in Riley hospital in Indianapolis. He currently is the director of the cardiopulmonary department at Heartland regional medical center in Marion Illinois where he has worked since 2002. He takes a hands on approach to leadership and often as not is working directly with the students when they perform their clinicals at heartland. Doug is a married father of 2 children and has been a Practicing respiratory therapist since His lecture was entitled HFOV and Surfactant 101

  • Synopsis:
    Lung prematurity is a relatively common respiratory concern to the newborn patient population. This presentation will review the use of two accepted methods that have demonstrated significant improvements in overall patient outcomes. HFOV or high frequency oscillatory ventilation has now become a mainstay of lung protective strategies for immature lung development in the premature newborn. It will be explained generally using studies and case studies. Exogenous surfactant administration is standard procedure now as a treatment for prematurity in pulmonary development in children lacking at least a 2:1 L/S ratio. The combination of these two treatment modalities have vastly improved clinical outcomes and prevention of Bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Session 5 Desiree Miller

• Desiree Miller worked as a Registered Respiratory Therapist for 15 years including caring for pulmonary patients in adult, pediatric, and neonatal ICU's. She has served on a trauma team and as shift supervisor. She had done time with Apria Home Health and was working at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Belleville Illinois when she started thinking it was time for a change. While Respiratory care was a wonderful job she felt that maybe some other choices might afford her greater personal satisfaction. So she took a chance and enrolled in Southern Illinois University at Carbondale's Physician Assistant Program in 1999. She did great and graduated with a BS. Desiree worked as a physician assistant for several Illinois medical practices, including Southern Illinois Pulmonary Consultants before accepting her current position as a hospitalist back at St. Elizabeth's Hospital. Desiree' Cravens-Miller is a certified and licensed physician assistant in the St. Elizabeth's Hospitalist Program. Desiree Miller's lecture was entitled: Respiratory Therapy and Beyond

  • Synopsis
    Respiratory therapy is a wonderful profession that permits many a stable and worthwhile career. Nevertheless some may find that with changes in life and lifestyle that other interests influence practitioners wants and desires for both employment and personal job satisfaction. This presentation is an autobiographical lesson in options that were sought and pursued by a former respiratory therapist and the accomplishment of her goals to further her education and employment. It discusses some of the ways in which a background in respiratory therapy assisted in pursuing advanced education opportunities and gaining employment in other health care positions.

Curtis Kretschmer
Kaskaskia Respiratory Care Program
(618) 545-3384
ckretschmer@kaskaskia.edu