health tips

People who have certain diseases or are in certain situations , sometimes can suddenly feel shortness of breath. Therefore , it is important to know first aid is shortness of breath.

The average adult human breathes as much as 14 times in one minute. Shortness of breath can mean a person feels he is not getting enough air, cannot breathe a sigh of relief, or feels panting like losing air. Apart from because certain post-activities such as exercise, shortness of breath is often a symptom of an emergency condition.

Shortness of Breath First Aid is Important to Know Anyone - Alodokter

Shortness of breath can be caused by: heart disease or heart failure , asthma , anemia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer , pericardial effusion, respiratory tract infection , pleural effusion, blockage of blood in the lungs, height, injury to neck, or almost drowning. There are times when shortness of breath is also caused by an allergic reaction that is characterized by symptoms of swelling or a rash on the tongue, throat, or face. At other times, shortness of breath can also be caused by stress.

Because shortness of breath can occur anywhere, beware if there are people around you who show signs of shortness of breath such as: breathing fast, very anxious, drowsy or confused, fever, dizziness, nausea, coughing, vomiting, blue lips, difficulty talking, sweating, until sneezing.

Knowing the stages of shortness of first aid can save the lives of people who are close to you. Below are the ways:

Check heart rate and breathing pathway. If needed, provide artificial respiration assistance.
Loosen the patient's clothes.
If there are, help patients to take their personal medicines. like asthma relievers.
Accompany the patient until medical assistance arrives. Avoid assuming he has improved even though the symptoms have subsided.
To protect the lungs, close immediately if there is an open wound on the patient's chest, especially if there are bubbles around it. To prevent air from entering, the wound can be covered with a plastic bag or gauze cloth smeared with petroleum jelly.
Avoid moving the patient's position if he has an injury to the chest or respiratory tract.
Don't give food or drink.
Also avoid putting pillows under the patient so that the airways are not disturbed.
At other times, shortness of breath can be an early symptom of a heart attack. If this happens, immediately call the emergency room or take the patient to the hospital immediately. On the way, give aspirin or nitroglycerin to be chewed to reduce blood clots and help facilitate blood flow. Artificial breathing or pressure on the chest for about 100 minutes can be given if the condition worsens. This artificial respiration can be given in conjunction with the use of an external automatic defibrillator / AED. Both of these actions must be carried out at the behest of medical personnel and people who have attended cardiac-pulmonary resuscitation training.

Beware if shortness of breath occurs repeatedly. Check with a doctor if the patient is often short of breath accompanied by other symptoms, such as:

Unable to sleep at night due to shortness of breath.
Having a respiratory tract infection making it difficult to breathe.
The patient has a bloody cough.
Have a cough that doesn't stop after 2–3 weeks.
Sweating at night or losing weight without cause.
Difficulty breathing when doing something that usually does not cause symptoms is like climbing stairs.
To reduce the risk of shortness of breath, it is recommended to condition so that there is not a lot of cigarette smoke or other smoke pollution around the environment around the patient, avoid also other causes of shortness of breath if you have it. By knowing the first aid in shortness of breath above, you can save someone's life if someone experiences an emergency.