This book situates learning in a clinical context to help students adopt thinking patterns that practicing healthcare professionals use. Learning in context gives students of respiratory therapy and related health professions a particularly relevant foundation for clinical practice. Explanations of physiological mechanisms underlying the benefits of common therapeutic, diagnostic, and monitoring procedures are unique to this text. This kind of knowledge is essential to the clinician in developing a rational plan of care. This book is for respiratory therapists and other health professionals involved in cardiac and respiratory care.