Recognition of airway obstruction
In the unconscious patient, breathing is evaluated after releasing the airway using the formula: "Look, Listen, Feel" which means:
- look at the expansion of the chest,
- listen to breathing sounds,
- feels the air flow of breathing.
If none of the above is detected, it is concluded that the patient is not breathing.
Signs of incomplete airway obstruction can be detected in the patient who is breathing with difficulty, which in the absence of a quick and effective intervention can turn into complete obstruction.
Signs of incomplete obstruction can be:
- State of unconsciousness,
- Impossibility to speak,
- Sternal, costal, subcostal retraction,
- Flow through the airways – low or non-existent,
- Cyanosis or gray coloration of the skin,
- Noisy breathing with added sounds ("snoring", "screaming", "gurgling"),
- Stridor.