The Breathing Lung Exhibit
Turn a class lecture into a powerful tool to teach and
inspire—and inspire yourself in the process.
In a crowded theater lobby, a 10-year-old tugs at his mom's
arm and points to me, saying, “Hey, mom, that’s the man with
the lungs.” Like a celebrity who has been “spotted,” I smile
back and say “howdy.” For many children, the day a respiratory
therapist spends an hour with their class demonstrating the
Breathing Lung Exhibit (BLE) is one of the most memorable days
of their school year. Public and private schools universally
welcome respiratory therapists who offer to teach students
about their lungs. One third-grade boy says, “I learned there
are thousands of chemicals in cigarettes like tar and stuff
that is in car batteries. You get diseases in your lungs and
they turn black. I would not want to have tar on my lungs.
Now, when I grow up, I will not smoke.”
John Wolfe, RRT, with high
school students and the Breathing Lung Exhibit.
In addition to providing a much more in-depth understanding
of lung function than their health and science classes can
offer, the BLE is also an effective smoking prevention and
cessation tool. “The BLE has always been a great tool for
helping to prevent the initiation of tobacco use among young
people, and it is now being used to help people quit smoking
as well,” says Sarah Davis, Tobacco Program Manager for the
American Lung Association of Colorado. “Several high schools
across the state have begun using the BLE as a tool to recruit
students to join their Not-On-Tobacco (N-O-T) smoking
cessation program.”
N-O-T facilitators have set up the BLE in classrooms,
hallways, and even the cafeteria as a way to get teens to
think about quitting smoking. “It’s incredibly
eye-catching—the kids can’t help but stop by,” says Heidi
Briscoe, a N-O-T facilitator at Denver’s West High School.
When the teens come by the table to look at the black lungs,
the N-O-T facilitators make sure to let them know about the
upcoming smoking cessation classes. “The lungs are a catalyst
that get the kids talking about smoking—their own smoking or a
friend’s or family member’s.” The teens are not the only ones
drawn in by the lungs—teachers and staff members are also
intrigued. “It was great for the school as a whole,” Briscoe
says.
The Breathing Lung Exhibit consists of two pairs of swine
lungs—one pink and healthy, the other treated with carbon
slurry, looking exactly like a smoker's lung. They are
preserved and stored in plastic resealable containers and are
completely odorless. Because swine lungs are virtually
identical to human lungs, they make excellent teaching tools.
And just as a picture tells a thousand words, a pair of lungs
speaks volumes. Michele Chesham, at Denver’s Challenge School,
says, “It makes such a difference when students can see the
ill effects of tobacco use.”
A Breathing Lung Exhibit gives students the opportunity to
learn about lung anatomy and physiology, basic gas laws,
semipermeable membranes, and pressure gradients. And it gives
them a profound understanding of the fact that there is a
delicate organ at the other end of every cigarette that is
smoked.
Demonstrating the Breathing Lung Exhibit offers respiratory
therapists an important opportunity to take what we do out of
the clinical setting and into the community. It raises
awareness and respect for our profession, and it gives us a
chance to make a difference in a way that is profoundly
different than providing patient care.
Do It Yourself
The knowledge base of a
respiratory therapist about basic lung function is so
extensive that there may be a tendency to show up at a
classroom, pull out the lungs, and begin talking. But it is
better to have a lesson plan with specific goals and an
outline of talking points. Save the actual lung demonstration
for about the halfway point of a 1-hour demonstration.
Begin by introducing yourself, and not by simply stating
your name and occupation. Take the opportunity to say a few
words about what a respiratory therapist is, and talk about
the wide variety of things we do, including the emergency
department, neonatal and pediatric intensive care, home care,
pulmonary function testing, and flight transports. If you are
speaking to a class of high school students, ask if any of
them have considered pursuing a career in health care, and
give them good reasons for thinking about it. Refer them to
the Web site for AARC (http://www.aarc.org/). They
can click on “Careers” to find a wealth of information about
career opportunities as a respiratory therapist, and watch a
5-minute streaming video called “Life and Breath.” Be prepared
to answer questions if they want to contact the nearest
respiratory therapy school.
Cindy Coopersmith, RRT, uses
the exhibit to teach children about the effects of smoking on
lungs.
Many students will have heard the words anatomy and
physiology, but most of them will not be able to tell you what
they mean. A bicycle is a useful analogy to help students
understand the meaning of the words. Invite them to begin
naming parts of the “anatomy” of the bicycle. As they name
parts, begin drawing them on the board—frame, wheels, pedals,
chain, etc. This gets them engaged in a learning activity and
lets them know that this is not going to be a boring, passive
lecture, but a fun, interactive event. Next, have them tell
you what happens to the chain and the rear wheel when pressure
is applied to the pedal. Now they understand physiology, and
how anatomy supports physiology so the bike can do its job.
This presents a perfect segue into lung anatomy and
physiology.
Lung anatomy and physiology can be a simple review of “the
respiratory system: 101.” Again, a simple board drawing can
help the respiratory system take shape. Don’t be afraid to use
the correct medical or scientific terms. As long as you
clearly explain what they mean as you go, students are
perfectly capable of keeping up with the conversation.
“What’s air made of?” You might be surprised at the answers
you get to this question. Once you have established that air
is primarily nitrogen and oxygen, you can ask them to guess
the percentage of each. Consistently ask them to tell you the
answers as you proceed, and avoid the tendency to lecture. You
will find it is more engaging and fun for everyone.
Once you have established that air is a gas, and that
oxygen is the gas our cells need for metabolism, you can use
Gore-Tex as an analogy for the pulmonary capillary membrane,
and talk about pressure gradients. Talk about the circulatory
system—most students will understand that the heart pumps
blood through the body, but many will not understand that it
is simultaneously pumping blood through the lungs. A crude
drawing of the circulatory system can be helpful in
communicating that concept.
The Breathing Lung Exhibit
Now that you
have the class excited about how their lungs work, you can
present the actual lungs. The lungs are suspended from a
framework of PVC plumbing pipes that are easily connected to a
bellows-type raft pump that inflates the lungs. Be prepared
for squeals as you invite a student to assist you in attaching
the lungs to the framework and inflate the lungs for the first
time.
Try not to let them see the “smokers” lung ahead of
time—there is a certain shock factor when they see it for the
first time, and you want to use that to full advantage.
Invite participation by having one volunteer install the
lungs into the pipe frame and another to operate the bellows.
Before attaching the bellows to the pipes, talk about positive
pressure. After inflating the “healthy” lung, have them
install the “smokers” lung and discuss the effects of smoking
on the heart and lungs. Many students will associate smoking
with lung cancer, but they may not know what cancer is, and
they almost certainly will not be aware of the effects of
carbon monoxide and nicotine on heart function or fetal
development. Be prepared for lots of questions, and consider
bringing handouts with information about the health effects of
smoking. Your local chapter of the American Lung Association
or the American Cancer Society will have ample materials
available for you to use.
Getting involved in the community and volunteering outside
the hospital or home care setting are rewarding experiences
and can be an important “recharge” for RTs who become weary of
treating the outcomes of lung disease. And the BLE is a
dynamic tool for RT departments or state AARC chapters to
utilize as a community service project. It profoundly
increases our presence in the community, and may even inspire
a student to decide, “When I grow up, I want to be a
respiratory therapist!”
Resources Breathing
Lung Exhibits are commonly available from your local
chapter of the American Lung Association
(www.lungusa.org), American Cancer Society
(www.cancer.org), or County Health Department. To
contact your local ALA, dial (800) LUNGUSA to be
connected with the chapter nearest you. Supplemental
brochures, fact sheets, and handouts are also available
from these sources and from the Campaign for
Tobacco-Free Kids (http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/).
If BioQuest Inflatable Lung
Kits are not already available in your community, they
are inexpensive and available from several sources,
including NASCO Teaching Aids, (800) 558-9595, and
Community Intervention Inc, (800) 328-0417. Obtaining
grant money to purchase a BLE is generally not difficult
because the benefits are so self-evident. An excellent
supplemental online teaching resource is available from
the Science Museum of Minnesota (www.smm.org/heart/lungs/top.html). |
John Wolfe, RRT, is a frequent contributor to
RT and a member of the magazine’s editorial advisory
board.