What is the amount of air that normally reaches the alveoli in an adult?
350ml
How much air is in the average adult ventilation?
500ml
How
... [Show More] much air is lost in the area of dead space when an adult is ventilating?
150ml
A 67 year old male complains of mild respiratory distress. He smokes 4 packs of cigarettes a day and reports a consistent cough and frequent respiratory infections. Chest sounds reveal bilateral rhonchi. What should you suspect?
Chronic bronchitis
EXPLANATION: chronic bronchitis is long term inflammation of the bronchioles. Excessive mucus and pus production leads to obstructed airways. the consistent cough is the body's response to clear the airway obstruction
An unresponsive 43 year old male is cool, pale, diaphoretic, and breathing 6 times a minute. which device should you use to administer oxygen?
Bag-valve mask
EXPLANATION: He is unresponsive and breathing too slow. This is a "sick" patient and assisting his ventilation should be the first intervention. You can increase his respiratory rate with a bag-valve mask.
diaphoretic
Characterized by profuse sweating.
Nasal cannula delivers about what percentage of oxygen
20-44%
What are the structures that branch off of the trachea into the lower airway?
Bronchi
EXPLANATION: the trachea splits at the carina into the left and right bronchus. The bronchi get smaller and smaller until it reaches the terminal bronchioles where the alveoli are located.
What is the normal range of breaths per minute for an adult
12-20
A febrile 44 year old male complains of shortness of breath and has dull chest pain. he has been coughing up "rusty" sputum for the last 3 days. what is the most likely cause?
Pneumonia
EXPLANATION: Pneumonia is an infection of the lung tissue and the "rusty" sputum (spit) is a sign of a lower airway infection. He is febrile (has a fever) from an immune response to the infection, and the "dull" chest pain is a common symptom at the location of the infection.
A 42 year old male complains of shortness of breath after being sprayed with super-heated steam. He has burns to his face, neck and upper chest. Vitals signs are BP 112/66, P 124, R 26 shallow and labored. What should you do?
Assists his ventilations
EXPLANATION: He is in respiratory failure. His breathing is ineffective because his respirations are fast and shallow. Shallow respirations do not allow for adequate oxygen exchange because the air is not drawn down far enough into the lungs. Assisting his breathing with positive pressure ventilations will help reduce any developing pulmonary edema from the lower airway burns.
What is the term for abnormal breath sounds that result from an obstructed upper airway?
Stridor
How should you insert a nasopharyngeal airway?
Face the bevel toward the septum
Also know to only use water-soluble lubricants when inserting a NPA, no oil-based lubricants
The use of accessory muscles and nasal flaring are signs of what type of breathing?
Labored breathing
Expect to initially see an increases respiratory rate ad heart rate with labored breathing. As the patient begins to tire, the respiratory rate and the quality will begin to decrease, which worsens the problem.
What are the small air sacs at the end of the airway that are responsible for gas exchange?
Alveoli
A 53 year old male is sleepy, diaphoretic, difficult to arouse and breathing 8 times a minute. What do you suspect?
Respiratory failure
What is directly posterior to the nose?
Nasopharynx
The nasopharynx connects the opening of the nostrils to the soft palate, which is located at the back of the mouth. This passage is designed to warm up inhaled air and filters out fine particulate matter
What is the name of the muscular structure the divides the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity?
Diaphragm
What is the most common location for an airway obstruction?
Pharynx
This passageway is shared by air and food, so it is a common site for a partial of complete obstruction, which could be food or a flaccid tongue.
What part of the respiratory system contains the vocal cords?
Larynx
This structure is directly above the trachea.
What is the normal respiratory rate for an adult?
12-20
What is the name of the cartilaginous ridge in the trachea at which the right and left lungs split?
Carina
How many lobes are in the lungs?
5
3 lobes on the right and 2 lobes on the left
What is the name of the passageway shared by the digestive system and the respiratory system for air and food?
Pharynx
The nasal cavity and mouth share this passageway. Air travels down the larynx and food travels into the esophagus
What ring-shaped structure forms the lower portion of the larynx?
Cricoid cartilage
This is located directly inferior of the thyroid cartilage
What structure is at the terminal portion of the respiratory tree?
Alveloi
An inadequate amount of oxygen being delivered to the cells is called:
Hypoxia
What is the name of the only complete cartilaginous ring of the trachea?
Cricoid Cartilage
The two main branches of the trachea form the:
Bronchi
You are managing a patient with damage to the brainstem due to a stroke. How can this have a detrimental effect on the patient's breathing status?
There can be a change in both the breathing rate and regularity
Of the following influences on breathing, which one has the MOST significant impact on the moment-to-moment regulation of breathing?
Carbon dioxide levels
External respiration is best described as the:
Exchange of gases between the alveoli and the surrounding capillary bed
During cellular respiration and metabolism, there is constant production of acidic waste products such as hydrogen. How does the body initially manage this acid?
Hydrogen is converted into carbonic acid and later into CO2 and H2O
While you are transporting a young teenager with a cold and cough, he asks you what his respiratory system does. How would you respond?
It takes oxygen from the air and supplies it to the blood
Which muscle of the body is the primary one that allows normal inhalation to occur?
Diaphragm
When your patient inhales, the diaphragm and what other muscle group contracts in order for air to flow into the lungs?
External intercostal muscles
You are caring for a patient with respiratory distress. The patient is found in a tripod position with nasal flaring, the pulse oximetry is 94 percent, and you note absent alveolar breath sounds and cyanosis around the mouth and nail beds. Given these findings, which is MOST suggestive of actual breathing inadequacy?
Absent alveolar breath sounds
Following the assessment of a patient who was found in a tripod position, you have concluded that the patient is unable to adequately deliver oxygenated blood to the peripheral tissues despite high-flow oxygen via NRB. This is known as:
Hypoxia
As brain cells start to become initially hypoxic, what is a common CNS response?
Restlessness and agitation
Which of the following patients, in the absence of disease or injury, will use oxygen at the highest rate, and thus, must always be adequately oxygenated and ventilated?
A patient who is 3 years old
Which patient population is most likely to become hypoxic from poor oxygen reserves during periods of hypoventilation or apnea?
Infants
You are caring for a two-week-old who reportedly is having trouble breathing. Which of the below findings BEST supports the suspicion the patient is truly hypoxic?
The heart rate is 60 per minute
As compared to infants, what response do adults typically display as they initially start to become hypoxic?
The heart rate increases
An infant who is conscious with a pulse has an obstructed airway, the EMT should:
Alternate back blows and chest thrusts
How does the mental status of a patient change in light of an airway occlusion from a foreign body trapped in the trachea?
The patient can rapidly become unresponsive
The most common cause of airway obstruction in the patient who is found supine and unresponsive is:
The tongue
Which of the following anatomical differences between the pediatric and adult airway renders the pediatric patient more susceptible to airway occlusion when becoming obtunded?
Proportionally larger tongue
Your unit is on the scene of a call for a 19-year-old female who is having an asthma attack. Her pulse ox is in the mid-90s, and you hear bilateral wheezing with auscultation. What is your initial concern for this conscious patient with respiratory distress?
Diminishing pulmonary function until respiratory failure occurs
Which of the following would have the least contributory effect on reducing tidal volume in a patient?
Diabetes or high blood pressure
You are managing a patient who is suffering from a right ventricular infarction. If the patient is also complaining of mild dyspnea, how could the MI contribute to the perception of dyspnea?
Decreased perfusion to the lungs
If a patient has suffered a heart attack and the left ventricle can no longer pump blood effectively, how can this cause respiratory compromise in the patient?
Increased amount of fluid filling the alveoli
Blood, vomitus, or other substances that occlude the nasopharynx may drain and lead to:
Airway occlusion
Just because a patient is attempting to breathe against a partially occluded airway, if they do NOT move enough air to reach the alveoli, what secondary complication might they experience?
Hypoxia or Hypercapnia
Which of the following is the MOST important airway concern for any patient who displays an altered mental status?
The tongue will relax into the back of the throat and cause a partial or complete airway obstruction
Which of the following statements is MOST correct about the relationship between the airway status and the level of hypoxia that may be present in a patient who is awake and talking to you?
The airway is intact and the risk of hypoxia is low
Which of the following differences between the airways in the adult and pediatric is correct?
Pediatrics have a proportionally larger tongue
The narrowest part(s) of an infant's upper airway is (are) the:
Cricoid cartilage
Which of the following vital sign changes is consistent with pediatric hypoxia that may necessitate airway and/or ventilatory assistance?
Bradycardia
Compared to the adult patient, an infant's ventilation rate is:
Faster and with a lower tidal volume
A child's metabolic rate and limited oxygen reserves will cause what detrimental effect to occur more quickly in a child patient than in an adult patient during periods of hypoventilation?
Hypoxia
A harsh, high-pitched sound heard during inspiration, characteristic of an upper airway obstruction due to swelling, is called:
The patient's skin is pale and clammy [Show Less]