Chapter 9: Principles of Airway Management and Ventilation

clinical death

moment when breathing and heart actions stop.

Nasopharyngeal airway

flexible tube inserted into a patient’s nose to provide an open airway; also called nasal airway. Abbrev: NPA.

Abdominal thrusts

manual thrusts delivered to create pressure that can help expel an airway obstruction in an adult or child; also called the Heimlich maneuver.

jaw thrust maneuver

technique used to open the airway of a trauma patient with possible neck or spine injury.

Rescue breathing

act of providing manual ventilations for a patient who is not breathing or is unable to breathe adequately on their own.

Dyspnea

difficult or labored breathing, shortness of breath.

Inspiration

refers to the process of breathing in, or inhaling.

Ventilation

process of breathing in and out; also called respiration.

Pocket face mask

device used to help provide ventilations. Most have a one-way valve and HEPA filter. Some have an inlet for supplemental oxygen.

Laryngectomy

total or partial removal of the larynx.

Cardiac arrest

absence of a heartbeat.

Respiratory failure

inadequate respiratory rate and volume secondary to poor oxygenation.

stoma

inadequate respiratory rate and volume secondary to poor oxygenation.

Oropharyngeal airway

curved plastic device inserted into the patient’s mouth to minimize obstruction of the airway caused by the tongue; also called oral airway. Abbrev: OPA.

trachea

tubelike structure that carries air into and out of the lungs.

Accessory muscles

muscles of the neck, chest, and abdomen that can assist during respiratory difficulty.

gag reflex

reflex spasm at the back of the throat caused by stimulation of the back of the tongue or the soft tissue near or around the oropharynx.

Biological death

occurs approximately 4 to 6 minutes after onset of clinical death and results when there is an excessive amount of brain cell death.

Positive pressure ventilation

process of using external pressure to force air into a patient’s lungs, such as with mouth-to-mask or bag-mask ventilations.

Respiratory distress

refers to breathing that becomes difficult or labored.

exhalation

process of breathing out.

Cyanosis

bluish discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes; a sign that body tissues are not receiving enough oxygen.

Respiratory compromise

general term used to describe when a patient is not breathing adequately.

Respiratory arrest

absence of breathing.

Bag-mask device

device made up of a face mask, self-refilling bag, and one-way valve that is used to provide manual ventilations; also called a bag-valve mask or BVM.

Respiration

exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide within tissues and cells; sometimes used to describe the process of breathing.

Work of breathing

increase in the effort it takes to breathe.

Inhalation

process of breathing in.

Agonal respirations

abnormal breathing pattern characterized by slow, shallow, gasping breaths that typically occur following cardiac arrest; also called agonal breaths.

Larynx

section of the airway between the throat and the trachea that contains the vocal cords.

Head-tilt/chin-lift maneuver

technique used to open the airway of a patient with no suspected neck or spine injury.

Patent airway

open and clear airway.

Diaphragm

primary muscle of respiration that separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity.

Epiglottis

flap of cartilage and other tissues located above the larynx; helps close off the airway when a person swallows.

Gastric distention

inflation of the stomach.

Apnea

absence of breaths. See also respiratory arrest.

Tracheostomy

surgical opening on the anterior neck into the trachea to create an airway for breathing.

Pharynx

the throat.

Chest thrusts

manual thrusts delivered to create pressure that can help expel an airway obstruction in an infant or in pregnant or obese patients.

Hypoxia

insufficient supply of oxygen in the blood and tissues.