Basic Life Support - Airway Obstructions Types, And Solutions

The modern generation of Red Cross Certification holders easily gets desired jobs in Canada. This certification offers them an opportunity to learn about many key life-saving skills. 

The list includes the art of glove removal, primary assessment, CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) and AED (Automated External Defibrillator), airway instruction, assisted ventilation and basic life support special considerations. 

This post will help you learn about one of these skills for a better career. You will be able to save lives using the knowledge you will gain about that. 

Therefore, allow us to throw some light on airway obstruction in this post. Yes! You are reading right! 

Airway obstruction is an important part of education in all basic life support certifications. 

What is Airway?

This is what you need to understand before getting the hang of airway obstruction. An airway is a complex network of tubes inside a human body. These tubes transmit inhaled air from your nose and mouth into your lungs. 

What Is Airway Obstruction? 

Airway obstruction stops air from entering your lungs partially or permanently. Some obstructions could be minor. Some obstructions prove to be life-threatening. Such obstructions need immediate emergency medical attention.  

Emergency medical specialists cannot reach everywhere. All Red Cross certifications in Canada value educating volunteers about airway obstruction for this reason.  

Types of Airway Obstruction:

There are several types of airway obstructions. Given below are their names for your reference:

Upper AIrway Obstruction - It happens between the area of your nose, lips, and larynx.

Lower AIrway Obstruction - Happens between your larynx and the narrow passageway of the lungs. 

Partial AIrway Obstruction - Breathing turns out to be difficult for the victim. Full air doesn’t pass through your airway system. Partial airway obstruction victims can still breathe to some extent. 

Complete AIrway Obstruction - You cannot breathe because air doesn’t reach your lungs. It could be life-threatening. Call emergency medical help immediately if you experience such an obstruction. 

Acute AIrway Obstruction - It happens within a blink of an eye. Victims experience it when their body chokes on a foreign object. 

Chronic AIrway Obstruction - It happens either because of blockages that take a long time to happen or blockages that last for a long time. 

What Are Some Common Reasons Of Airway Obstructions?

This is another important thing you learn during your basic life support certification course. Many things become the reason for airway obstruction. Take a look at the list of some of those things below: 

• Allergic reaction, vocal cord issues, viral infections, and bacterial infections. 

• Asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and cystic fibrosis. 

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and Swollen tongue or epiglottis.  Abscesses in the throat or tonsils and tracheal wall (tracheomalacia) collapse. 

• Damage to the airway system due to an accident and inhaling or swallowing a foreign object. 

• A small object lodged in the nose or mouth and breathing in a large amount of smoke from a fire. 

• Respiratory illness is responsible for causing upper airway inflammation (CROUP).

What Are Common Symptoms of Airway Obstruction?

Nothing in this world happens without a reason. Not even airway obstruction. Things like agitation, cyanosis (Bluish-coloured skin), confusion, panic, gasping for gas, sounds of decreased breathing in lungs, cardio-respiratory arrest, unconsciousness, difficulty in breathing, no breathing,  stridor or stertor (These noises sound like wheezing), and frequent changes in alterations (Rapid or Shallow). 

A basic life support certification course is the best way to learn about these symptoms in detail.  

Ways To Treat And Prevent Airway Obstructions:

There is a difference between the treatment and prevention of health problems. Treatment is done after someone becomes a victim of a health issue. On the other hand, prevention is a method to eliminate all possibilities and reasons for disease from someone’s body. Prevention methods are carried out even before the disease occurs in your body. 

This is the best thing all basic life support certification courses teach you about. It could be treated using the treatments mentioned below:

• The Heimlich manoeuvre.

• Epinephrine.

• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

• Prognosis.

Eat your food in small bites, say no to alcohol consumption, eat with patience, supervise children while they are eating, avoid or reduce high-risk, look for reliable sources of knowledge and diet, stay away from choking foods (Foods like hot dogs, popcorn, and grapes, for kids),  chew your food thoroughly before you swallow it, fit your dentures properly, quit smoking, regular visit to doctor, and keeping children away from small objects, can help prevent airway obstruction.