By
Breathless patients
Breathlessness is subjective
* * * * * *
tachypnoea feeling tight chested , air hunger wheezing choking gasping , increased effort feeling of suffocation
Infants
Toddlers and children Children
24-30 breaths/min
20-30 breaths/min 12-20 breaths/min
Effects of breathlessness
Decreases : functional status : social activities : quality of life : will to live
Causes: multidimensional
Physical Psychological
CAUSES OF BREATHLESSNESS
Physiological mechanisms
Problems of ventilating the lung Impaired perfusion of the lungs Muscle fatigue Pleural restriction
Cause of breathlessness
Respiratory :- malignancy, benign growth
obstruct airway eg. Bronchial / tracheal tumour - pneumonia, asthma, bronchitis - pleural effusion - lymphangitis carcinomatosa - diaphragmatic weakness -SVCO - chronic lung disease - COPD
Others :- anaemia
- ascites - drugs - radiotherapy - anxiety
Metastasis from other sites notably breast , bowel, kidney, larynx and lymphoma
References:
Palliative care for people with cancer edited by Jenny
Penson , Ronald A. Fesher Website on breathlessness Palliative Medicine edited by Declan Walsh
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