Proper Assessment and Treatment of Acute Respiratory Distress

Management of acute respiratory distress isn’t an exact science. Good patient outcomes rely on your ability to assess ventilation, oxygenation, work of breathing (WOB), lung function, airway resistance and air flow. The number of treatment choices is increasing, and they’re becoming more complex. Does your patient need medication, suctioning, airway management, ventilation, intubation, non-invasive ventilation or just close observation?

Some practices of the past served only to disguise deterioration. With everything available to today’s EMS provider, you need some pearls of wisdom for effectively assessing and successfully treating patients having difficulty breathing.

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