Chapter 7: Airway Management and Ventilation Flashcards
What is the most common site for airway obstruction?
Pharynx - soft palate and epiglottis
What are some common causes for pharyngeal airway obstruction?
- Vomit/blood
- Regurgitation
- Tongue
- Trauma
- Foreign Body
What are some common causes for laryngeal airway obstruction?
- Oedema - burns, inflammation or anaphylaxis
- Spasm - airway stimulation or foreign material
What can cause airway obstruction below the larynx?
- Bronchial secretions
- Bronchospasm
- Mucosal oedema
- Pulmonary oedema
- Aspiration of gastric contents
- Extrinsic compression at any level
What is seesaw breathing?
- Complete airway obstruction
- In a patient who is making respiratory efforts
- Causes paradoxical chest and abdomen movement
- Called see-saw breathing
What signs may be seen in airway obstruction?
- Stridor/wheeze/gurgling/snoring
- Use of accessory muscles
- Tracheal tug
- Intercostal and subcostal recessions
- Reduced air entry
- See-saw breathing
How do you identify complete airway obstruction in patients with apnoea?
- Spontaneous breathing movements are absent
- Failure to inflate lungs during attempted PPV
How should patients with a tracheostomy or permanent tracheal stoma with an airway obstruction be managed?
- Remove tube/stoma & replace
- Ventilate by sealing stoma
What are the signs of severe choking?
- Can’t speak
- Can’t breathe
- Breathing sound wheezy
- Attempts at coughing silent
- Pt. may be unconscious
What are the signs of mild choking?
- Able to breathe
- Able to cough
- Able to speak
- Respond to question
How would you manage someone who is choking with a mild airway obstruction?
- Encourage them to cough
- Continually assess for deterioration
How would you manage someone who is choking with severe airway obstruction?
- Conscious - 5 back blows and 5 abdominal thrusts
- Unconscious - start CPR
How do you give back blows?
- Stand to side & slightly behind patient
- Support chest with 1 hand
- Lean patient forward
- Give 5 sharp blows between scapulae with heel of hand
- Check to see if airway obstruction relieved after each blow
When and how do you do abdominal thrusts?
If back blows fail = give 5 abdominal thrusts
- Stand behind pt
- Put both arms round upper abdomen
- Place clenched fist under xiphisternum and
- Grasp with other hand
- Pull sharply inwards and upwards
- Repeat 5 times
What should be done if 5 back blows and 5 abdominal thrusts hasn’t relieved airway obstruction?
- Continue alternating back blows and abdominal thrusts
- If pt become unconscious - begin CPR
- Once appropriate individual arrive - laryngoscopy and remove FB with Magill forceps