Cardiopulmonary Physiotherapy

Respiratory examination must form part of a multisystem assessment, as physiologically no body system works in isolation. The clinician should review available medical/nursing documents and charts to insure that any overall ‘trends’ are identified, as this will prevent findings being taken out of context. Early detection of physiological changes may prevent catastrophic patient deterioration. Liaison with members of the multidisciplinary team will

insure a holistic examination is performed.

This section provides all the core tools necessary for the physiotherapy assessment of any patient with a respiratory system disorder, from a simple pre-operative examination to the complex assessment of the critically ill patient. The physiotherapist must use their clinical judgment to select the appropriate assessment tools.

Assessment is an on-going procedure and should be performed before, during and after every treatment.