Paradoxical breathing

[Digby]

If there are signs that a section of the upper chest is moving in the opposite direction to the rest of the area when a patient breathes, what should you do?

a. Strap it firmly and seek urgent medical attention?
b. Ask him/her if it normally does that?
c. Begin heart massage?
d. Leave it to heal up on its own?
e. Lay the patient on the bad side?

Choose your answer then scroll down to see what other people say. This forum is no substitute for professional first aid training - so get yourself off and get trained!

[timmygowalkies]

Hmmm, this is a difficult one. From the research I've done, you'd put the patient in the half-sitting position, with the injured side down.

Paradoxical breathing is a medical condition people do suffer from without an injury, so you would also need to ask them if they had been diagnosed with it or if they knew they had it. Either way you should still contact the emergency services as soon as you can.

Paradoxical breathing could also be a sign of internal bleeding. So be observant.

Tim
xxx

[Shaggysheep]

it's good to see my first aid training is working timmygowalkies

[timmygowalkies]

:P
T'is indeed, t'is indeed.
Though I must say paradoxical breathing took a lot of research, hehe.

Tim

[Shaggysheep]

This Saturday you can deal with punchure wounds in the chest. Good one you can come across camping when someone falls on a wooden tent peg

[Ollie]

In that sort of situation it's probably best to simulate the accident, rather than actually throwing someone on a tent peg :D

[Shaggysheep]

I have a set of first aid make up and it can make injuries look very good I have a set of pictures of a young lad I made up for a road accident training session. Everyone who has seen them say how realistic they look.

[timmygowalkies]

Haha, that was a good one.

Kid lying on side of road covered in stage make-up, drivers looking out of their windows in horror. hehe

[Shaggysheep]

You seen the picture of Matthew when I was training Katie haven't you?

[timmygowalkies]

yup :)

Bringing the thread back on track though.

Is there anyone else who has any experiewnce with paradoxal breathing?
I can't seem to find much online and it is something i'm now quiteinterested to learn about.

[insane_climber]

pluratic chest movement would need to be seen at a hospital urgently as is indicated taht only one side of the chest is working and can indicate, colapesed lung, pnumathorax or tesion pnumathorax