Premergency First Aid, CPR and AED Manual

3 Airway and Breathing

Vital Vocabulary accessory muscles – Muscles in the neck, between the ribs and in the abdomen that indicate compromised breathing function agonal breathing - an abnormal pattern of breathing caused by a brainstem reflex in a dying patient. anaphylaxis – A severe allergic reaction that can cause airway obstruction and organ failure. apnea - a complete absence of breathing. asthma – A reversible airway obstruction that affects a person’s ability to breath properly carbon dioxide – A waste product produced by the body’s cells and removed from the body by circulation and respiration (exhalation). carbon monoxide – An odourless, colourless, poison gas produced by combustion of fossil fuels.

circulation – The process of the heart pumping blood throughout the body cyanosis – A bluish skin colour showing a lack of oxygen in the blood. hemoglobin – a protein found in red blood cells that contains an iron molecule. The main function of hemoglobin is to carry oxygen from the lungs to the body tissues, exchange the oxygen for carbon dioxide, and then carry the carbon dioxide back to the lungs and where it is exchanged for oxygen. hyperventilation - is a condition of breathing too rapidly. hypoxia - is a deficiency (hypo=low) in the amount of oxygen (oxia=oxygen) reaching the tissues. respiration – The process of breathing. One inhalation and one exhalation equal a single respiration.

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