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Ventilator Services Program

Ventilator Services at the Levindale Specialty Hospital combine state-of-the-art medical care, aggressive weaning measures and unmatched compassion. Our dedicated staff members use their knowledge, skills and experience to help patients reach the highest level of independence and quality of life.

Levindale has one of the largest ventilator programs in Maryland, with 60 ventilator-capable beds. Devoted teams of professionals from many departments work together 24 hours a day, seven days a week to create and carry out individualized care plans for each of our patients.

The Program

Levindale specializes in the care of chronically ill patients to maximize their full potential. Most of our patients have respiratory failure following a catastrophic illnesses or events, neurological changes and/or post-surgical complications.

The Weaning Process

Weaning is the name of the process that reduces the amount of ventilator support that patients need to help them breathe. Levindale works with patients, when medically indicated, to help them regain the ability to breathe on their own. Patients are monitored closely so they can avoid complications during weaning. We have a comprehensive scope of care for patients, whether they remain ventilator dependent or successfully wean from the ventilator. 

Specialty Treatments

Levindale offers other specialty care including:

• Dialysis
• Wound care
• Medication management
• IV antibiotics
• Psychiatric consultations for patients and their families
• Individual family support by a psychiatric clinical nurse specialist 

Rehabilitation

The respiratory rehabilitation therapy team is specifically trained to help patients take control of their lives to the extent that they are able.

Occupational therapy focuses on maximizing independence, relearning activities of daily living and getting back into the community. Patients are retrained about how to perform tasks efficiently and how to use proper breathing techniques.

Physical therapy works to restore strength, mobility, balance and endurance to patients experiencing functional limitations, disabilities, or changes in physical function due to injury, disease or other related causes.

Speech-language therapy provides complete speech, cognitive-linguistic and swallowing evaluations and therapy with the goal of helping patients achieve their maximum potential in communication, eating and swallowing.

Recreation therapy encourages leisure interests and skills and supports patients so they can successfully return to the community.

The Team

Members of the ventilator services' team include:

• Attending physician
• Pulmonologists
• Physiatrists- doctors who specialize in the treatment of physical medicine
• Physician's assistants
• Licensed nurses and geriatric nursing assistants (RN, LPN, GNA)
• Respiratory therapists
• Rehabilitation (occupational, physical and speech) therapists
• Psychiatric consultants
• Nutritionists
• Social workers
• Therapeutic Recreation
• Chaplains

Physician Coverage

Levindale has a medical director, a staff of six physicians, two full-time and two part-time physician assistants and three nurse practitioners who provide in-house medical coverage from 8 a.m. - 1 a.m. Mondays through Fridays.  On the weekends, there is a physician assistant at Levindale for 10 hours during the day. A doctor is on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

In addition to Levindale's physicians, we have alternative coverage by doctors from private medical offices.

Eden Alternative

Levindale is a registered Eden Alternative center. The Eden Alternative philosophy fights the three plagues of the elderly- loneliness, helplessness and boredom- with companionship, empowerment and variety. Some of the ways that Levindale does this is to have animals that live here on-site, to arrange for children to visit often and to offer gardening activities for our patients.

Length of Stay

The length of stay is different for each patient. It varies with every individual's needs and abilities. Members of the team keep patients and their families updated on changes in their status.

Education/Discharge Planning

Education for patients and families is a top priority. Before patients are discharged, an individualized care plan is created for each patient and shared with his or her family. The family is also trained to help patients with their conditions when they are able to go home. As part of our discharge planning, families learn how to administer medicine, how to suction and how to set up and carry out a home exercise program for their loved ones.

Accreditation

Joint Commission
Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF)

For more information or to tour Levindale, call 410-601-2400. Levindale's TTY phone number is 410-601-2153 for the hearing impaired.