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Oxygen concentratorBy

Nurse Emily & Nurse Foo

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Who needs O2 concentrator?

Breathless patients

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Breathlessness is subjective

sensation of difficult, laboured oruncomfortable.

Common description of breathlessness:* tachypnoea* feeling tight chested , air hunger

* wheezing* choking* gasping , increased effort

* feeling of suffocation

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Adult normal breathing rate : 12/min at rest

Groups ofchildren Their ages

Normalrespiratory rates

Newbornsand infants

Up to 6months old 30-60 breaths/min

Infants6 to 12 monthsold

24-30 breaths/min

Toddlers andchildren 1 to 5 yearsold 20-30 breaths/min

Children 6 to 12 years 12-20 breaths/min

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Effects of breathlessnessDecreases : functional status

: social activities: quality of life

: will to live

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Causes: multidimensional

Physical

Psychological

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CAUSES OF BREATHLESSNESS

Physiological mechanisms

Problems of ventilating the lungImpaired perfusion of the lungs

Muscle fatigue

Pleural restriction

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Cause of breathlessnessRespiratory:- malignancy, benign growth

obstruct airway eg. Bronchial / tracheal tumour

- pneumonia, asthma, bronchitis

- pleural effusion

- lymphangitis carcinomatosa

- diaphragmatic weakness-SVCO

- chronic lung disease

- COPD

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Cardiovascular:- Heart failure

- pericardial effusion

- pulmonary embolism

Others :- anaemia

- ascites

- drugs

- radiotherapy

- anxiety

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Metastasis from other sitesnotably breast , bowel,

kidney, larynx andlymphoma

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References:

Palliative care for people with cancer edited by JennyPenson , Ronald A. Fesher

Website on breathlessness Palliative Medicine edited by Declan Walsh

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THANK YOU