1. Breathing Emergencies
Ch 7 Lifeguarding
Breathing Emergencies

2. Lesson objectives Recognize and care for a breathing emergency
Demonstrate how to safely and effectively perform rescue breathing.
Demonstrate how to safely and effectively care for an obstructed airway.
Decide what care to provide for a breathing emergency.

3. Breathing Emergencies
A breathing emergency occurs if a victim has difficulty breathing.
Without oxygen, hypoxia will result.
Signs & symptoms of hypoxia include increased breathing and heart rates, cyanosis (when tissue does not get enough oxygen and turn blue.

4. Breathing Emergencies can be caused by
Obstructed airway (choking)
Injury to the head, chest, lungs, or abdomen
Emphysema or asthma
Heart attack
Coronary heart disease
Electrocution
Shock
Allergic reactions (food or insects)
Drowning
Poisoning
Drugs
Emotional distress

5. Respiratory Distress A victim having difficulty breathing
Signs & Symptoms include:
Slow or rapid breathing
Unusually deep or shallow breathing
Shortness of breath or noisy breathing
Dizziness, drowsiness or light-headedness
Changes in level of consciousness
Increased heart rate
Chest pain or discomfort
Skin that is flushed, pale, ashen or bluish
Unusually moist or cool skin
Gasping for breath
Inability to speak in full sentences
Tingling in the hands or feet.

6. Epinephrine Administration
Anaphylactic shock- severe allergic reaction. The airway passages may swell and restrict breathing.
Pp explains and demonstrates epi-pen administrration

7. Rescue Breathing pp
An initial assessment will determine the next course of action
Perform rescue breathing for a victim who has a pulse but is not breathing.
Rescue breathing is a technique for breathing air into a victim to give him or her oxygen needed to survive.

8. Rescue Breathing continued…
Give 1 rescue breath about every 5 seconds for an adult.
Give 1 rescue breath about every 3 seconds for a child or infant.
Continue until…
Victim begins to breath on his/her own
Another trained rescuer takes over.
Too exhausted to continue
Conditions worsen (CPR)
Scene becomes unsafe
If a breathing barrier is not available…do NOT delay care. Use the mouth-to-mouth technique. Pinch the victim’s nose shut and seal your mouth over the victim’s mouth. For an infant, cover the mouth and the nose.

9. Rescue Breathing Special Situations pp. 109-110
Suspected head, neck or back injury (jaw-thrust maneuver)
Air in stomach (gastric distention)
Vomiting and Drowning
Victims with dentures
Mask-to-nose breathing
Mask-to-stoma

10. Airway Obstruction pp. 111-116
Most common cause of respiratory emergencies. A victim whose airway is blocked can quickly stop breathing, lose consciousness and die.
Common causes of choking
Poorly chewed food
Drinking alcohol before or during meals.
Eating too fast or talking/laughing while eating
Moving with food in your mouth (walking, playing, running)
Wearing dentures

11. Airway Obstruction Adult/Child pp. 111-112
A victim who is clutching his or her throat is usually choking.
Get consent before helping a conscious choking victim.
Adult and Child- perform a combination of 5 back blows followed by 5 abdominal thrusts
Repeat until object is dislodged, or victim becomes unconscious

12. Airway Obstruction Infant pp. 112-113
Get consent before helping a conscious choking victim.
Infant- perform a combination of 5 back blows followed by 5 chest thrusts
Repeat until object is dislodged, or victim becomes unconscious

13. Airway Obstruction Special Situations pp. 113-114
Heavy set
Obviously pregnant
perform a combination of 5 back blows followed by 5 chest thrusts

14. Unconscious Choking-Adult and Child Steps pp. 113-114
Step 1- Give 2 rescue breaths … if breaths do not go in, re-tilt head and try again.
Step 2- If chest clearly does not rise, give 5 chest thrusts.
Step 3/4- Look inside victim’s mouth. If object is seen, take it out. (finger sweep)
Step 5- Give 2 rescue breaths
Repeat Steps 2-5 if breaths do not make chest clearly rise.

15. Unconscious Choking-Infant Steps pp. 115-116
Same as adult and child with some modifications.
-use two-three fingers in middle of nipple line for chest thrusts
-use pinky finger to finger sweep

16. Review Questions Sign & symptoms of respiratory distress include---
Flushed, pale, ashen or bluish skin
For a conscious child who is choking, where do you position your hands to give abdominal thrusts?
In the middle of the abdomen just above the navel.

17. Review Questions continued…
A mother comes running towards you screaming that something is wrong with her son. After sizing up the scene and obtaining consent, you perform an initial assessment and find that the child is not moving or breathing, but has a pulse. You perform rescue breathing at a rate of 1 rescue breath about once every---
3 seconds

18. Review Questions continued…
A 12-year-old boy at a swim meet grabs his chest and begins to make wheezing noises. After you obtain consent to provide care, his mother informs you that he has a history of asthma, but does not have his inhaler nearby. What care should you provide?
Summon EMS personnel and place the victim into a position that helps breathing.