ECTSI 13th Edition Vocab - Chapter 16 - Respiratory Emergencies

Acidosis

The buildup of excess acid in the blood or body tissues that can result from a primary illness.

Adventitious Breath Sounds

Abnormal breath sounds such as wheezing, stridor, rhonchi, and crackles.

Alkalosis

The buildup of excess base (lack of acids) in the body fluids.

Allergen

A substance that causes an allergic reaction.

Anaphylaxis

An extreme, life-threatening, systemic allergic reaction that may include shock and respiratory failure.

Aspiration

A respiratory emergency that occurs when foreign material such as fluid or food enters the lungs and prevents effective breathing.

Asthma

An acute spasm of the smaller air passages, called bronchioles, associated with excessive mucus production and with swelling of the mucous lining of the respiratory passages.

Atelectasis

Collapse of the alveolar air spaces of the lungs.

Bronchial Breath Sounds

Normal breath sounds made by air moving through the bronchi.

Bronchiolitis

Inflammation of the bronchioles that usually occurs in children younger than 2 years and is often caused by the respiratory syncytial virus.

Bronchitis

An acute or chronic inflammation of the lung that may damage lung tissue; usually associated with cough and production of sputum and, depending on its cause, sometimes fever.

Carbon Dioxide Retention

A condition characterized by a chronically high blood level of carbon dioxide in which the respiratory center no longer responds to high blood levels of carbon dioxide.

Carbon Monoxide

An odorless, colorless, tasteless, and highly poisonous gas that results from incomplete oxidation of carbon in combustion.

Chronic Bronchitis

Irritation of the major lung passageways from long-term exposure to infectious disease or irritants such as smoke.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

A lung disease characterized by chronic obstruction of lung airflow that interferes with normal breathing and is not fully reversible.

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)

A method of ventilation used primarily in the treatment of critically ill patients with respiratory distress; can prevent the need for endotracheal intubation.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

A respiratory disease caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2. The virus is a coronavirus, similar to the one that causes the common cold.

Crackles

Crackling, rattling breath sounds that signal fluid in the air spaces of the lungs.

Croup

A viral inflammatory disease of the upper respiratory system that may cause a partial airway obstruction and is characterized by a barking cough; usually seen in children.

Diphtheria

An infectious disease in which a pseudomembrane forms, lining the pharynx; this lining can severely obstruct the passage of air into the larynx.

Dyspnea

Shortness of breath.

Embolus

A blood clot or other substance in the circulatory system that travels to a blood vessel where it causes a blockage of blood flow.

Emphysema

A disease of the lungs in which there is extreme dilation and eventual destruction of the pulmonary alveoli with poor exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide; it is one form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Epiglottitis

A bacterial infection in which the epiglottis becomes inflamed and enlarged and may cause an upper airway obstruction.

Grunting

A sign of increased work of breathing, heard as an uh sound during exhalation; reflects a pediatric patient's attempt to keep the alveoli open.

Hyperventilation

Rapid, usually deep, breathing that lowers the blood carbon dioxide level below normal.

Hyperventilation Syndrome

This syndrome occurs in the absence of physical problems. The respiratory rate of a person who is experiencing hyperventilation syndrome may be as high as 40 shallow breaths/min or as low as only 20 very deep breaths/min. This syndrome is often associated with panic attacks.

Pleuritic Chest Pain

Sharp, stabbing pain in the chest that is worsened by a deep breath or other chest wall movement; often caused by inflammation or irritation of the pleura.

Pneumonia

An infectious disease of the lung that damages lung tissue.

Pneumothorax

An accumulation of air or gas in the pleural cavity.

Pulmonary Edema

A buildup of fluid in the lungs, often as a result of heart failure.

Pulmonary Embolism

A condition in which a blood clot (embolus) breaks off from a large vein and travels to the blood vessels of the lung, causing obstruction of blood flow.

Respiration

The process of exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)

A virus that causes an infection of the lungs and breathing passages; can lead to other serious illnesses that affect the lungs or heart, such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia. RSV is highly contagious and spread through droplets.

Rhonchi

Coarse, low-pitched breath sounds heard in patients with chronic mucus in the upper airways.

Small-Volume Nebulizer

A respiratory device that holds liquid medicine that is turned into a fine mist. The patient inhales the medication into the airways and lungs as a treatment for conditions such as asthma.

Status Asthmaticus

An emergency that occurs when standard treatments fail to relieve asthma symptoms, resulting in acute respiratory failure.

Stridor

A harsh, high-pitched respiratory sound, generally heard during inspiration, that is caused by partial blockage or narrowing of the upper airway; may be audible without a stethoscope.

Tachypnea

Rapid respiratory rate.

Tripod Position

An upright position in which the patient leans forward onto outstretched arms with the head and chin thrust slightly forward.

Tuberculosis (TB)

A contagious disease that attacks the lungs and that can remain dormant in a person's lungs for decades, then reactivate; many strains are resistant to antibiotics. TB is spread by cough.

Ventilation

Exchange of air between the lungs and the environment, spontaneously by the patient or with assistance from another person, such as an EMT.

Vesicular Breath Sounds

Normal breath sounds made by air moving into and out of the alveoli.

Wheezing

A high-pitched, whistling breath sound that is most prominent on expiration, and which suggests an obstruction or narrowing of the lower airways; occurs in asthma and bronchiolitis.

Work of Breathing

An indicator of oxygenation and ventilation; reflects the child's attempt to compensate for hypoxia.