Breathing difficulties can be described in several different ways. You may be short of breath, unable to take a deep breath, gasping for air, or feel like you are not getting enough air.
See also: Choking
Alternative NamesDifficulty breathing - first aid; Dyspnea - first aid; Shortness of breath - first aid
ConsiderationsIf you are having difficulty breathing, it is almost always a medical emergency (other than feeling slightly winded from normal activity like exercise or climbing a hill).
CausesDifficulty breathing has many potential causes. Some of the most common are:
The following symptoms are often associated with difficulty breathing:
Call 911 if you or someone else has labored breathing, especially if accompanied by:
Call your doctor right away if:
Manno M. Pediatric respiratory emergencies: upper airway obstruction and infections. In: Marx J, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2006: chap 166.
Thomas SH, Brown DFM. Foreign bodies. In: Marx J, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2006: chap 57.
Breathing difficulties can range from being short of breath, unable to take a deep breath, gasping for air, or feel like you are not getting enough air.
This article discusses first aid for someone who is having breathing problems.
See also: Choking
Alternative NamesDifficulty breathing - first aid; Dyspnea - first aid; Shortness of breath - first aid
ConsiderationsBreathing difficulty is almost always a medical emergency (other than feeling slightly winded from normal activity such as exercise).
CausesThere are many different causes for breathing problems. Common causes include:
A person with breathing difficulty may have:
If someone is having breathing difficulty:
Call 911 or your local emergency number if you or someone else has difficulty breathing, especially if there you notice:
Call your doctor right away if:
Manno M. Pediatric respiratory emergencies: upper airway obstruction and infections. In: Marx J, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2009: chap 166.
Thomas SH, Brown DFM. Foreign bodies. In: Marx J, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2009: chap 57.
Wippold FJ II. Diagnostic imaging of the larynx. In: Cummings CW, Flint PW, Haughey BH, et al, eds. Otolaryngology: Head & Neck Surgery. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2010:chap 106.
Reviewed ByReview Date: 07/16/2011
Jacob L. Heller, MD, MHA, Emergency Medicine, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Washington. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
it stands for "is the patient breathing?"
Get them breathing before you do anything with the burn.
The most important concept of emergency for first aid is to Stop bleeding and to restore adequate breathing.
To check breathing
Circulation Airway and Breathing
a- Airway b-breathing c-circulation
it stands for danger response airway breathing and circulation
First aid is a group of actions that need to be taken during an emergency. It shows you how to help somebody who is choking, not breathing, bleeding, and having other threatening issues. Learning first aid can help you save a life.
heres a little thing to help you remember. check the breathing, stop the bleeding, protect the wound, treat for shock. this is used in the military for first aid.
Give immediate first aid and get someone to call the emergency services.
It is used to wake up a victim who is unconscious but breathing with a pulse.
danger response shout for help airway breathing circulation