Breathing Emergencies

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Breathing Emergencies

• GASP!!!

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Breathing Emergencies

• Victim has difficulty/stops breathing
• Caused by
• Drowning
• Obstructed airway (choking)
• Heart attack
• Shock
• Emotional distress
• Allergic reactions
• Drugs
• Injury to head/lungs/abdomen

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Breathing Emergencies

• A victim who is having trouble breathing is in
  Respiratory Distress
• Slow/rapid breathing
• Deep/shallow breathing
• Increased heart rate
• Flushed/pale/ashen skin
• Moist/pale skin
• Tingling in hands/feet
• Gasping for breath
• Can turn into respiratory arrest/failure

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How to Care for Respiratory Distress

• Summon EMS personnel
• Help victim rest in a comfortable position
• Reassure/comfort the victim
• Administer emergency oxygen, if trained to do so.
• Keep victim from getting chilled/overheated

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Rescue Breathing

• When do I do rescue breathing?
• A victim has a pulse, but is NOT breathing!

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DVD Segment Rescue Breathing
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Rescue Breathing

• When do I STOP rescue breathing?
• - Victim begins to breath on his own
• - Another trained rescuer arrives and takes
  over
• - The victim loses his pulse (start CPR)
• - Scene becomes unsafe

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Rescue Breathing

• How do I perform rescue breathing?
• Position rescue mask
• Tilt head/lift the chin to open airway
• Each breath should last one second, make the
  chest clearly rise!

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Rescue Breathing

• Adult One breath every 5 seconds
• Child One breath every 3 seconds
• Infant One breath every 3 seconds

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Rescue Breathing

• Continue rescue breathing for 2 minutes!
• Remove mask and look for movement and recheck
  breathing for no more than 10 seconds!

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DVD Segment Bag-Valve-Mask Resuscitator
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Airway Obstruction

• Most common cause of respiratory emergencies
• Can be anatomical (tongue, swollen tissue) or
  mechanical (foreign object)
• Can be partially obstructed (wheezing sounds) or
  completely obstructed (cant make any sound at
  all
• Conscious victim who is clutching his throat with
  one or both hands is usually choking (universal
  sign of choking)
• Make sure you get consent

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Obstructed Airway - Conscious

• How do I do this?
• Get consent
• Encourage them to continue coughing
• If they stop talking, call EMS.

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Conscious Choking Infant

• If infant cannot cough, cry or breath, call EMS
• Carefully position infant face-down along your
  forearm
• Give 5 back blows with the heel of your hand
• Turn infant over and give 5 chest thrusts
• Place 2 to 3 fingers on the center of the chest
• Compress chest ½ to 1 inch
• Keep going until
• 1. Object comes out
• 2. Infant begins to cough/cry/breathe
• 3. . Becomes unconscious

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Obstructed Airway - Conscious

• Lean victim forward
• Give 5 back blows with the heal of you hand
• Give 5 abdominal thrusts
• Continue until object comes out or they pass out
  

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Airway Obstruction Unconscious Adult/Child

• If you initial two breaths do not go in, re-tilt
  the head and try two more breaths.
• If they still do not go in (make the chest
  clearly rise) give 5 chest thrusts
• Place on head on the center of the chest
• For an adult, compress 1 ½ to 2 inches
• For a child, compress chest 1 to 1 ½ inches

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Airway Obstruction Unconscious Adult/Child

• Look inside victims mouth
• If you see the object, remove it with your finger
• Replace the mask and give 2 rescue breaths.
• If they dont go in, repeat the cycle of chest
  thrusts, object check and breaths

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Unconscious Choking Infant

• If breaths do not go in, reposition and try again
• If they still dont go in, begin a cycle of 5
  chest thrusts/5 back blows
• Check for object
• Give breaths

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DVD Segment Airway Obstruction