Signs of Respiratory Distress

• Signs of Respiratory Distress in COPD Pt1:

  • Pursed lip breathing – generates increase in resistance to air flow, so pursing lips helps widen airways as they breathe out
  • Prolonged expiration – difficulty breathing out so may take long to breathe out through narrow airways
  • Tachypnoea – increased respiratory rate
  • Active expiration (use of abdominal muscles) - trying to sustain a high respiratory rate
• Signs of Respiratory Distress in COPD Pt2:

  • Fixing of upper limbs - to allow pectoralis minor to be an accessory muscle in inspiration
  • Use and hypertrophy of respiratory accessory muscles
  • Soft tissue recession (supraclavicular fossae and intercostal spaces) - intercostal muscle fatigue against negative intrathoracic pressure
  • Hoover’s sign (indrawing of lower ribs on inspiration) - fatigue of the diaphragm
• Signs of Respiratory Distress - Pursed lip breathing:

  • generates increase in resistance to air flow, so pursing lips helps widen airways as they breathe out
• Signs of Respiratory Distress - Prolonged expiration:

  • difficulty breathing out so may take long to breathe out through narrow airways
• Signs of Respiratory Distress - Tachypnoea:

  • increase in respiratory rate
• Signs of Respiratory Distress - Active expiration (use of abdominal muscles):

  • trying to sustain a high respiratory rate
• Signs of Respiratory Distress - Fixing of upper limbs:

  • to allow pectoralis minor to be an accessory muscle in inspiration
• Signs of Respiratory Distress:

  • Use and hypertrophy of respiratory accessory muscles
• Signs of Respiratory Distress - Soft tissue recession (supraclavicular fossae and intercostal spaces):

  • intercostal muscle fatigue against negative intrathoracic pressure
• Signs of Respiratory Distress - Hoover’s sign (indrawing of lower ribs on inspiration):

  • fatigue of the diaphragm