OEC Airway Management & Respiratory Emergencies Flashcards

A patient in respiratory distress from asthma asks to sit up. What position should you allow?

Answer: Position of comfort, typically upright or semi-upright

Patients in respiratory distress breathe most effectively in an upright or semi-upright position of comfort that maximizes lung expansion.

What is the key distinction between respiratory distress and respiratory failure?

Answer: Patient's ability to maintain adequate oxygenation

Respiratory failure occurs when compensatory mechanisms are overwhelmed and the patient can no longer maintain adequate oxygenation, unlike distress where those mechanisms still function.

Why do patients hyperventilating during a panic attack experience tingling in their hands and around their mouth?

Answer: Low carbon dioxide (hypocapnia) causing vasoconstriction

Rapid breathing blows off CO2, causing hypocapnia and cerebral vasoconstriction that produces tingling (paresthesias) in the extremities and face.

Which finding during breathing assessment requires immediate intervention?

Answer: Shallow chest rise with minimal tidal volume

Shallow chest rise indicates inadequate tidal volume that will lead to hypoxia and requires immediate airway and ventilation support.

What does a patient assuming the 'tripod position' (leaning forward on hands) indicate?

Answer: Significant respiratory distress using accessory muscles

The tripod position is a compensatory posture adopted during significant respiratory distress to fix the shoulder girdle and maximize use of accessory breathing muscles.

Which lung finding on auscultation is associated with fluid in the alveoli such as pulmonary edema?

Answer: Crackles (rales)

Crackles (rales) are produced by fluid in the alveoli snapping open during inspiration, commonly heard in pulmonary edema or pneumonia.