Danielle Chase

💡TL;DR: For most coughs, start with sterile normal saline (0.9%) in your nebulizer; it hydrates airways and helps loosen mucus with minimal risk. For thick phlegm, hypertonic saline by TruNeb (3% or 7%) can thin secretions but may briefly increase coughing; ask your clinician if you have asthma

💡TL;DR: Bivona tracheostomy tubes are soft silicone tubes that keep the airway open and come in cuffed (TTS), uncuffed, foam-cuff, and adjustable-flange options. Silicone improves comfort and flexibility, and many models can be sterilized and reused up to 10 times per manufacturer guidance. A TTS cuff deflates tight to

💡TL;DR: Bronchitis usually does not turn into pneumonia, but pneumonia can develop during or after bronchitis in some people, especially older adults, infants, smokers, and those with weak immunity. Pneumonia infects the lung air sacs and is generally more serious, with higher fever, faster breathing, and chest pain. Watch

💡TL;DR: A mucus plug is a thick mucus blockage that can obstruct an airway and cause part of the lung to collapse. Most plugs clear with a layered approach: hydration, bronchodilator if prescribed, postural drainage, and controlled or huff coughing; severe or stuck plugs may require bronchoscopy. In COPD,

💡TL;DR: Orange or rust-colored phlegm usually means a small amount of dried blood in your mucus, most often from infection or irritation (for example, sinusitis, bronchitis, or a minor nosebleed). Color alone doesn’t diagnose the cause—track other symptoms and how you feel over 3–5 days. Rusty

💡TL;DR: Medications do not cure BPD; they help babies breathe and grow while the lungs heal. Care often combines oxygen/respiratory support with diuretics, bronchodilators, cautious short courses of corticosteroids in select severe cases, and caffeine citrate to reduce apnea. Diuretics and bronchodilators can improve short‑term breathing but

💡TL;DR: Obstructive sleep apnea can run in families: having a first-degree relative with OSA is linked to about a 50% higher risk. Central sleep apnea is usually not inherited. Genetics explain roughly 40% of apnea severity, while weight, airway anatomy, alcohol, age, and other factors explain the rest. Practical

💡TL;DR: Asthma is not an autoimmune disease; it’s a chronic inflammatory airway condition where the immune system overreacts to external triggers (like pollen, dust, smoke, or cold air). In autoimmunity, the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, which is not what happens in asthma. Treatments differ:

What Is a Portable Oxygen Concentrator and Who Needs One? A portable oxygen concentrator (POC) is a small, battery-powered medical device that pulls in room air, concentrates the oxygen, and sends it to you through a nasal cannula. Unlike oxygen tanks, POCs don’t store oxygen. They make it on