Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is characterized by severe shortness of breath and a rapid heart rate, often accompanied by cough, fever, chest pain and bluish lips or fingernails caused by low O2 levels.
ARDS can be triggered by direct injuries to the lung such as pneumonia, aspiration, smoke inhalation or blunt...
Opioid-induced Respiratory Depression (OIRD), usually caused by opioid use or post-operative complications from anesthesia, occurs when the opioids desensitize the brain stem to rises in CO2, which can rapidly lead to full-blown respiratory failure. Given the growing number of 911 calls due to opioid abuse and subsequent respiratory...
Asthma is a chronic lung disease characterized by inflamed and narrowed airways. When the inflamed airways of asthma patients react strongly to certain inhaled substances, commonly referred to as an asthma attack, the outcome is a hyper-reactive airway that results in acute bronchospasm, reducing the flow of air into the lungs. Swelling...
Capno 101: What is Airway Management?
Airway management is a critical EMS skill. Simply put, a patient without an airway will not survive – but placement of an advanced airway device in critically ill and injured patients is a high-risk procedure, and a misplaced airway can cause permanent disability or death.
The capnography...
An example of cardiogenic oscillations on a dog. This monitor and mainstream sensor are so quick the capnograph is actually counting and measuring each peak of the oscillations.
https://youtu.be/5e2oM35RFOE
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an umbrella term for progressive, obstructive lung diseases, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis, that are characterized by chronically poor airflow. Cigarette smoking is the most common cause of COPD, but heredity and exposure to air pollution and particulates are also...
Greg Friese, EMS1 Editor-in-Chief
EMS1.com Columnists
Jon Puryear presented an engaging and hands-on session that stressed understanding normal waveforms to recognize what’s abnormal
Surfing the Capnography Waveform, presented by Jon Puryear at EMS Today 2015 in Baltimore, Md. taught the basics of capnography and gave student...