Respiratory & Sleep Medicine

Staff information

Respiratory Medicine 5 West

5 West is mainly a respiratory medical ward that provides services to patients with respiratory conditions eg, Asthma, COPD, Pulmonary Fibrosis and Pneumonia.
Nursing staff has advanced respiratory skills and knowledge and are experienced in the use of specialised respiratory equipment.

The High Dependency Unit provides services to acutely unwell patients requiring a higher level of respiratory monitoring.

The Ventilation Weaning Unit is an initiative of Austin Health that was commenced in April 2002.
It is the first unit of its type in Australia.
The aim of the unit is to improve patient outcomes and decrease length of stay of patients in ICU.
These patients still require specialised respiratory care while being ‘weaned' from invasive mechanical ventilation.

The VRSS is a state-wide service providing long term ventilation for people with chronic respiratory failure.
Ventilation is provided through a mask or tracheostomy.
Majority of people require ventilatory support at night however some may require daytime support.
Most people requiring long term ventilation are able to live at home with support from the VRSS.
Ventilation is initiated at Austin by a multidisciplinary team consisting of Respiratory Physicians, Nurses, Physiotherapists, Scientists, Social Workers, Occupational Therapists and Speech Therapists.

The Austin Health Sleep Disorders Unit is the largest and longest running sleep disorders service in Victoria.

Sleep studies are performed on patients with:

Chronic Respiratory Failure requiring ventilatory support (breathing assistance).
Spinal Injuries, Motor Neurone Disease.
Sleep-disordered breathing eg. Snoring, apnoeas, insomnia and daytime sleepiness.

The Unit and Deptartment of Respiratory Medicine is internationally respected as a centre of excellence in research and development.

5 West also utilises the following services:

5 West also has isolation facilities for patient with Pulmonary Tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.