Respiratory Distress
August 13th, 2017
Overview
Increased work of breathing, or respiratory distress, suggest that the patient is having significant difficulty breathing that requires immediate assessment and management.
Look For
- Conscious state - distress / agitation / decreased consciousness
- Speech - phrases → words → none
- Face - nasal flaring, pursed lips
- Accessory muscle use
- Recession - intercostal recession, subcostal recession
- Tachypnoea
- Tachycardia
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