Mod 9 Airway Anatomy Flashcards
respiratory rate is…
- 12-20 breaths/min (adult)
- 15-30 breaths/min (child)
- 25-50 breaths/min (infant)
adult patients with abnormal respiration rates
-you should evaluate for other signs of inadequate ventilation
bag valve mask
-adds volume
causes of inadequate ventilation
- severe infection
- trauma
- brain stem insult
- noxious or oxygen-poor atmosphere
- renal failure
causes of respiratory distress
- upper/lower airway obstructions
- impairment of the respiratory muscles
- impairment of the nervous system
dyspnea
-difficult on respiratory rate, regularity, or effort
anoxia
-absence of O2
pulses paradoxis
-decrease of SV, pulse during inspiration difference of 10mmHG
orthopnea
-dyspnea while lying down
steps of recognition of airway problems
- open
- clear
- reassess
- intervene if needed
- reassess
evaluation of airway visual techniques
- how is the patient positioned
- adequate rise/fall of the chest
- gasping for air?
- is the patient using accessory muscles to breathe
- is the patients chest wall moving symmetrically
- is the patient breathing through pursed lips
- do you note any retractions
evaluation of airway listening
- air movement at the patients nose and mouth
- auscultate breath sounds with a stethoscope
evaluation of airway feeling
- note changes in ventilatory compliance
- pulsus paradoxus
- change in pulse quality, or even disappearance of a pulse during inhalation may also be detected
history of the patients present illness
- onset
- causes/triggers
- duration
- any alleviations?
- any other associated symptoms?
history of the patients present illness questions…
- onset?
- causes/triggers?
- duration?
- any alleviations?
- any other associated symptoms?
- improve after coughing something up?
- any interventions prior to EMS arrival?
- evaluated by physician?
- meds?
- has this happened before?
- been on ventilator because of this condition?
protective reflexes of the airway (GAGS CHS)
- coughing
- sneezing
- gagging
- gag reflex
- aspiration
anemia
- decreased RBC
- throw 94% rule out the window
pulse oximeter
- measures % of hemoglobin
- assesses pulsating blood vessels
- monitor the oxygenation of the patients
positioning the patient
-supine position preferred
most common cause of airway obstruction
- tongue
- manually maneuver the patients head to propel the tongue forward
airway disadvantages
- bleeding if over aggressive
- gagging
when to do jaw thrust
- if you suspect a cervical spine injury
- might worsen facial trauma however no airway no patient
supine
-laying completely flat on the ground
jaw thrust with head tilt
-with someone stalkier/shorter neck
tongue jaw lift
- good to open airway
- bad for ventilation
- good to visualize airway
T/F all snoring is a partial airway obstruction
T
T/F blind finger sweeps of the mouth is a good idea
F
stimulating gag reflex…
stimulates ICP (should be avoided)
how do you measure oral airway?
corner of mouth to tip of earlobe
