Airway and Breathing Flashcards

Airway Management and Breathing Concepts

• Abdominal thrusts are critical for severe airway obstruction; initiate CPR with chest compressions if the patient becomes unresponsive.
• During inhalation, thoracic pressure decreases, allowing air to flow into the lungs.
• Pulse oximetry measures the percentage of hemoglobin bound to oxygen, an important indicator of oxygen saturation.

Patient Assessment and Response

• For an unresponsive patient with shallow breathing and cyanosis, position the patient on their side to prevent aspiration during vomiting.
• Ineffective breathing without a pattern is termed ataxic breathing, which may indicate serious respiratory issues.
• Passive ventilation occurs from chest recoil during CPR, facilitating airflow without active effort.
• If an adult is breathing rapidly (45 breaths/min) with shallow depth, much inhaled air remains in the anatomic dead space, decreasing effective ventilation.

Airway Adjuncts and Techniques

• An unresponsive trauma patient experiencing nasal bleeding is an ideal candidate for an oropharyngeal airway.
• In positive-pressure ventilation, oxygen is actively drawn into the lungs, increasing oxygen delivery.
• Patients with a hypoxic drive may be less likely to show cyanosis, despite having high blood oxygen levels.

Clinical Symptoms and Interventions

• Sudden onset of dyspnea and chest pain in an obese individual may indicate a pulmonary embolism, a critical condition requiring immediate attention.
• Stridor is a significant sign of poor air exchange in a foreign body airway obstruction.
• Carbon dioxide is the primary waste product of aerobic metabolism, highlighting the importance of ventilation in maintaining acid-base balance.

Management of Airway Obstruction

• For patients with secretions in the oropharynx, suctioning is essential followed by ventilation using a bag-mask device to ensure adequate oxygenation.
• Dentures should be left in place during artificial ventilation of apneic patients, as they help achieve a better tidal volume.
• Auscultation revealing absent breath sounds in one lung may indicate an ET tube placed too far into the trachea, requiring repositioning.

Ventilation and Oxygenation Strategies

• Patients with high respiratory rates and shallow breathing benefit from assisted ventilation with 100% oxygen.
• Inhalation involves contraction of intercostal muscles and diaphragm, crucial for effective breathing mechanics.
• Use an airway adjunct when ventilating an unresponsive apneic adult to ensure airway patency.

Respiratory Distress Indicators

• Unresponsive individuals presenting with cyanosis and snoring sounds indicate the need for airway adjunct insertion.
• For a patient in severe respiratory distress who can only speak briefly, bag-valve-mask ventilation is indicated to ensure sufficient oxygen delivery.

Physiology and Therapy

• Intrapulmonary shunting refers to deoxygenated blood returning to the heart from the lungs, indicating impaired gas exchange.
• CPAP therapy is beneficial for opening collapsed alveoli; effective pressure settings should be less than 5 cm H2O.
• Candidates for CPAP therapy typically display conscious labored breathing with accompanying anxiety and abnormal lung sounds, suggesting need for enhanced airway support.

Test your knowledge on airway management and the breathing process with these flashcards. Each card presents critical information regarding emergency responses and respiratory mechanics. Perfect for medical students and healthcare professionals looking to reinforce their understanding of airway interventions.