1. BREATHING EMERGENCIES

2. ABCD’s
AIRWAY
BREATHING
CIRCULATION
DEFIBRILLATION
SEVERE BLEEDING

3. The Breathing Process
Air (oxygen) into nose and mouth---passes through pharynx----travels through the trachea--- lungs---blood---delivered to brain, organs, muscles (provides energy)

4. Brain is very sensitive to oxygen starvation
BRAIN and OXYGEN
Brain is very sensitive to oxygen starvation
Brain cells start to die in 4-6 minutes without oxygen

5. TIME FRAME 0 minutes: breathing stops, heart will soon stop beating
4-6 minutes: brain damage possible
6-10 minutes: brain damage likely
Over 10 minutes: irreversible brain damage certain

6. BREATHING Brain controls breathing
Adjusts rate and depth of breaths based on O2 and CO2 levels
Requires respiratory, circulatory, nervous, and musculoskeletal systems to work together

7. BREATHING EMERGENCIES
An obstructed airway (choking)
Illness, such as pneumonia
Respiratory conditions (asthma, emphysema)
Electrocution
Shock
Drowning
Heart attack or heart disease
Chest or lung injury
Allergic reactions (food, insects)
Drugs
Poisoning
Hyperventilation

8. RESPIRATORY DISTRESS
Most common type of breathing emergency
Injury
Illness
Excitement
Anxiety

9. SIGNS and SYMPTOMS--RD
Obvious
Cannot catch their breath or gasp for air
Grunting, wheezing, gurgling, shrill sounds
Breaths unusually fast, slow, deep, or shallow
(slow= less than 8 breaths per minute)

10. S/S Respiratory Distress
Skin
Unusually moist and flushed
Pale, ashen, or bluish (cyanosis)
Symptoms
Dizzy, lightheaded, painful, tingling in lips, hands, or feet

11. Specific Types of RD
Asthma
Emphysema
Hyperventilation
Anaphylaxis

12. Care for RD Initial assessment Summon EMS
Help the victim rest comfortably
Physical exam
SAMPLE history
Reassure the victim
Assist with medication
Monitor vital signs

13. RESPIRATORY ARREST Breathing stops Illness Injury Obstructed airway
*heart will stop beating, organs will begin to fail

14. RESCUE BREATHING
Breathing air into a person to supply him or her with the O2 needed to survive

15. STEPS Determine LOC—unresponsive
Open airway and look, listen, feel for breathing
No breathing
Give 2 slow breaths
Check for pulse
Look for severe bleeding

16. RESCUE BREATHING
Keep airway open
1 breath every 5 seconds
Every minute re-check pulse

17. When to stop rescue breathing:
Victim breathes on own
Victim has no pulse—CPR
Someone with more training than you arrives
You are too exhausted to continue
The scene becomes unsafe

18. Special considerations:
Air in stomach
Vomiting
Mouth-to-nose breathing
Mouth-to-stoma breathing
Victims with dentures
Suspected spine injury

19. Infants and Children Faster breath rate and pulse rate than adults
Rescue breaths are faster
Less air in each breath
Head-tilt is less
Cover mouth and nose
Infants: 1 breath every 3 seconds
Children: 1 breath every 5 seconds

20. Most common cause of respiratory emergency
AIRWAY OBSTRUCTIONS
Most common cause of respiratory emergency
TWO causes: anatomical or mechanical
Partial or Complete

21. PARTIAL AIRWAY OBSTRUCTION
Can still move some air in and out of the lungs
Person can still cough and/or speak
Person may clutch throat (universal sign)
Encourage them to keep coughing and summon EMS if it continues

22. COMPLETE AIRWAY OBSTRUCTION
Unable to speak, cough, cry, or breathe
CALL 911
Heimlich Maneuver/ Abdominal thrusts until the obstruction is clear (or they become unconscious)

23. Unconscious Choking Adult/Child
Lay the person down
Open the airway by lifting the jaw up
Finger sweep
Open the airway—head-tilt/chin-lift
Give 2 slow breaths
If air does not go in:
Reposition (retilt) the head

24. If air still does not go in:
Give up to 5 abdominal thrusts or chest thrusts**
Do a finger sweep
Give 2 slow breaths (reposition if necessary)
Repeat until object is expelled

25. Chest Thrusts Middle of the sternum
Person is too large or they are pregnant
Compress 1 ½ to 2 inches
5 quick thrusts

26. Conscious Choking Infant
Call 911
Alternate 5 back blows and 5 chest thrusts until the object comes out

27. Unconscious Choking Infant
1. 2 slow breaths (they don’t go in)
2. Reposition head
3. 2 more slow breaths (if they don’t go in, assume airway is obstructed)
4. Give 5 back blows
5. Give 5 chest thrusts
6. Do a foreign body check
7. Open the airway
8. Give 2 slow breaths (if they don’t go in, repeat steps)