RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS

RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS

HYPOXIA

RECOGNITION
In moderate and severe hypoxia, there will be :
- Rapid breathing;
- Breathing that is distressed or gasping;
- Difficulty speaking;
- Grey-blue skin (cyanosis). At first, this is more obvious in the extremities, such as lips, nailbeds and earlobes, but as the hypoxia worsens cyanosis affects the rest of the body;

-Anxiety;
- Restlessness;
- Headache;
- Nausea and possibly vomiting;
- Cessation of breathing if the hypoxia is not quickly reversed.

INJURIES OR CONDITIONS CAUSING LOW BLOOD OXYGEN (HYPOXIA)
- Insufficient oxygen in inspired air
- Airway obstruction

- Conditions affecting the chest wall
- Impaired lung function
- Damage to the brain or nerves that control respiration
- Impaired oxygen uptake by the tissues

CHOKING ADULT

1 If the casualty is breathing, encourage her to continue coughing. Remove any obvious obstruction from the mouth.

2 If the casualty cannot speak or stops coughing or breathing, carry out back blows. Support her upper body with one hand, and help her to lean well forward. Give up to five sharp blows between her shoulder blades with the heel of your hand. Stop if the obstruction clears. Check her mouth.

Back Blow.

3 If back blows fail to clear the obstruction, try abdominal thrusts. Stand behind the casualty and put both arms around the upper part of her abdomen. Make sure that she is still bending well forwards. Clench your fist and place it between the navel and the bottom of her breastbone. Grasp your fist firmly with your other hand. Pull sharply inwards and upwards up to five times.


4 Check her mouth. If the obstruction has not cleared, repeat steps 2 and 3 up to three times, checking the mouth after each step.

5 If the obstruction still has not cleared, call 999/112 for emergency help. Continue until help arrives or the casualty loses consciousness.

CHOKING CHILD

1 If the child is breathing, encourage her to cough; this may clear the obstruction. Remove any obvious obstruction from her mouth.

2 If the child cannot speak, or stops coughing or breathing, carry out back blows. Bend her well forward and give up to five blows between her shoulder blades using the heel of your hand. Check her mouth but do not sweep the mouth with your finger.

3 If the back blows fail, try abdominal thrusts. Put your arms around the child’s upper abdomen. Make sure that she is bending well forwards. Place your fist between the navel and the bottom of her breastbone, and grasp it with your other hand. Pull sharply inwards and upwards up to five times. Stop if the obstruction clears. Check her mouth again.

4 If the obstruction has not cleared, repeat steps 2 and 3 up to three times. Keep checking the mouth.

5 If the obstruction still has not cleared, call 999/112 for emergency help. Continue until help arrives or the child loses consciousness.

CHOKING INFANT

1 If the infant is distressed, is unable to cry, cough or breathe, lay him face down along your forearm, with his head low and support his back and head. Give up to five back blows, with the heel of your hand.


2 Check the infant’s mouth; remove any obvious obstructions with your fingertips. Do not sweep the mouth with your finger as this may push the object further down the throat.

3 If back blows fail to clear the obstruction, turn the infant on to his back and give chest thrusts. Using two fingers, push inwards and upwards (towards the head) against the infant’s breastbone, one finger’s breadth below the nipple line.


4 Perform up to five chest thrusts. The aim is to relieve the obstruction with each chest thrust rather than necessarily doing all five. Check the mouth. If the obstruction still has not cleared, repeat steps 1-4 three times.

5 If the obstruction still has not cleared, take the infant with you to call 999/112 for emergency help. Continue until help arrives or the infant loses consciousness.