Diaphragmatic breathing

Question 1

Outline how you would instruct a patient to carry out diaphragmatic breathing.

Answer 1

1. Ask for consent.
2. Ask the patient to lie down in supine position with knees bent.
3. Tell them to place one hand on their upper chest and the other on the lower abdomen.
4. Ask them to breathe in through their nose and focus on filling their abdomen.
5. Ask them to purse their lips when they breathe out through their mouth.
6. Do this for 10 breaths.

Question 2

Why would you do diaphragmatic breathing on a patient?

Answer 2

As the patient is struggling to breathe and the diaphragm is not yet strong enough for them to breathe normally in through the chest. For example in COPD patients air can become trapped in the lungs which will keep the diaphragm pressed which can weaken it and make it less efficient. So diaphragmatic breathing will encourage full oxygen exchange which will help to strengthen the diaphragm which will help for more efficient gas exchange.

Question 3

How would you progress diaphragmatic breathing?

Answer 3

You could progress diaphragmatic breathing to techniques such as breathing control and thoracic expansion with the patient breathing into their lungs.

Question 4

Identify an outcome measure for diaphragmatic breathing?

Answer 4

One outcome measure for diaphragmatic breathing is oxygen saturation as this will tell you how effective gas exchange is for this patient.