Outline

Respiratory failure can be identified and distinguished quickly.

• Is it an oxygenation or a ventilation problem?
• Why does it matter?

Approaches to Differentiate Cardiac and Pulmonary Symptoms

• Advanced understanding of breath sounds
• X-rays don’t tell the whole story
• Not all edema is visible
• Evaluating the patient’s response to therapy

Respiratory disease can be assessed confidently.

• Dig deeper into ABG interpretation
• Tips to focus on one system at a time
• Treatment strategies to begin as you assess

The patient should be transitioned from crisis to stable.

• Solutions to calm the panic-stricken patient
• When lab results don’t correlate with the presentation
• WHY is the patient presenting the way they are?

There is a stair-step strategy to determine treatment.

• What about bronchodilators?
• Oxygen is a drug – how to optimize oxygen delivery
• When oxygen therapy isn’t enough – positive pressure ventilation vs mechanical ventilation

Mistakes you can prevent

• Misinterpretation of obstructive vs restrictive disease – or both?
• All that wheezes may not be respiratory
• Improper treatment modalities – start simple and work up
• Missed clues from an urgent situation – know when to call in reinforcements