Respiratory support includes medical procedures and equipment used to treat COPD and provide emergency respiratory assistance. Ventilators, CPAP devices, and oxygen therapy are common forms of support. Understanding respiratory distress, failure, and arrest is crucial in emergency medicine. Assisted ventilation devices replace mouth-to-mouth resuscitation for emergency responders.
Respiratory support is a term that refers to the various medical procedures and equipment used by respiratory care providers and their patients to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) such as asthma, emphysema, and black lung. It also refers to emergency respiratory assistance provided to patients in respiratory distress or arrest, which may or may not be related to COPD. A ventilator, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device, limited flow oxygen powered ventilation device (FROPVD), pocket face mask and bag valve mask are among the equipment used to provide respiratory support .
A ventilator breathes for the patient and is programmed to manage the timing and rate of the vital signs of inspiration, also called inspiration, and expiration, also called expiration. These machines are used in hospitals, private homes and other facilities. People with sleep apnea, which can sometimes manifest as behavioral problems in young children, are often prescribed a CPAP device, which provides continuous pressure to keep the patient’s airways open.
Oxygen therapy is a very common form of respiratory support performed by a healthcare professional such as an emergency room nurse, respiratory specialist, physician assistant, or paramedic. The drug is typically delivered via a non-rebreather mask or nasal cannula to treat or help prevent hypoxia, a state of oxygen deprivation in the body’s tissues. It is important to understand the difference between the terms “respiratory distress”, “respiratory failure” and “respiratory arrest” to better understand the extreme importance attached to the topic of respiratory support. Respiratory distress is simply shortness of breath, but depending on a person’s health or whether they have experienced trauma or distress, distress can lead to failure. When a person’s oxygen intake is not sufficient to sustain life, they are said to be in respiratory failure, rapidly leading to respiratory arrest, the complete cessation of breathing.
Cardiac arrest follows respiratory arrest rapidly, which is why emergency medicine places such a strong emphasis on respiratory support. Assisted ventilation, also known as positive pressure ventilation, is rescue breathing performed by a device or by the rescuer for a person in respiratory failure or arrest. For example, the pocket face mask and bag valve mask, FROPVD, and automatic transport ventilator are among the devices that help protect emergency responders from illness by replacing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation which can be done alone or in combination with cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
