Respiratory Diseases We Treat

The Fishman Program for Home Assisted Ventilation is a national leader in cutting-edge respiratory care. We provide comprehensive respiratory care for adults who have breathing disorders or respiratory conditions as a result of congenital disease, acute injury and chronic conditions.

Respiratory Conditions We Treat in the Fishman Program

Many conditions that make it difficult to breathe can be treated with home ventilators. Our respiratory specialists are experts at using the latest technology to help people with breathing disorders maintain independence and quality of life.

Studies show that patients who have access to home breathing treatments have better clinical outcomes, lower risk of hospital admission and an improved quality of life.

Chronic conditions that benefit from mechanically assisted breathing include:

Nerve, Brain, and Muscle Diseases

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• Central Hypoventilation Syndrome
• Cerebral palsy
• Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
• Chronic Myopathies
• Diaphragm paralysis
• Mitochondrial Diseases
• Muscular dystrophy
• Myasthenia gravis
• Myotonic dystrophy
• Pompe disease
• Post-polio Syndrome
• Spina Bifida
• Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)
• Spinal Cord Injury

Chest Wall Disorders

• Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva
• Scoliosis and Kyphoscoliosis

Chronic Airways Diseases

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Obstructive Sleep Apnea
• Tracheobronchomalacia
• Tracheostomy for Chronic Lung Disease

Types of Devices We Use for Respiratory Failure

Ventilators for home use are much smaller than the mechanical ventilators used in hospital intensive care or emergency rooms. A single, lightweight tube attaches the machine to a face mask or a tracheostomy. Home breathing machines are small enough to fit conveniently on a bedside table or attach to a wheelchair. Technological advances have also led to smaller portable devices with internal batteries that patients can take almost anywhere.

Our pulmonary specialists identify the correct ventilator for each patient's condition and needs and optimize it for use at home. The machines we use offer different types of positive airway pressure (PAP) technology.

• BPAP or BIPAP (bilevel positive airway pressure) machines are tabletop devices that actively push air into the lungs to improve breathing. They are called "bilevel" because they have two settings. The first delivers air into the lungs during inhalation using inspiratory positive airway pressure (IPAP). The second reduces air pressure during exhalation using expiratory positive airway pressure (EPAP). Our specialists can help patients adjust both settings to get the best personal breathing support. We often use Philip Dreamstation and ResMed AirCurve BPAP machines.
• Home ventilators are similar to BPAP machines, but they are more powerful, and patients can use them in many different ways. These life support devices feature large viewing screens, internal batteries and alarms. Commonly used ventilators include:
  • Breas Vivo
  • Philips Trilogy and Evo
  • ResMed Astral
  • Ventec VOCSN Life Systems

We use other machines to help patients with chronic respiratory failure as well. These machines include:

• Cough assist devices to help patients cough to clear mucus or other irritants out of the lungs
• Suction machines to clear secretions (mucus) from a person's mouth and airway
• Pulse oximeters to measure the level of oxygen in a patient's blood
• Oxygen concentrators to add more oxygen to the blood when a patient's lungs cannot bring in enough air

Schedule Your Appointment

Call 800-789-7366 or request a callback.