Respiratory muscle weakness is a common disorder often associated with weakened coughing, breathing and other airway functions, and providers and patients must know how to identify symptoms of this condition to ensure the healthiest breathing and respiratory functions possible. 

Health and safety can change in the blink of an eye, and one of the most severe ways that can happen is through having an allergic reaction and experiencing anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is caused by the over-release of histamines, which force a person’s body to go into shock.

There is a wide spectrum of reactions that one can have during anaphylaxis, ranging from mild to life-threatening. Patients and providers must know what to look for to identify allergic reactions and anaphylaxis and remain proactive in seeking treatment.

You are called to a residence in the middle of the night. A frantic father meets you at the door and ushers you upstairs to his son’s room, where you find a four-year-old boy perched anxiously on the side of his bed. He is braced in a tripod position, his small arms rigidly fixed by his side as he leans forward, drooling into a puddle on the floor. The father noticed a fever last night when he put the boy to bed but is astounded by the child’s rapid deterioration. 

 A suction catheter is one of the most versatile, useful pieces of medical equipment in your supply bag. They come in many varieties; flexible, rigid, large bore, bulb tipped, vented and non-vented. Whether it’s preventing emergencies before they start or offering life-saving treatment when a person cannot effectively breathe on their own, the right suction catheter is critical to doing your job. Here are seven key uses for suction catheters. 

 You are about to head out on a call for a 65-year-old man who is reported to be suffering from sudden respiratory distress. Few details are known about this man’s medical history, so you aren’t entirely sure what you are about to encounter. You grab your First In bag, knowing that your airway management tools mean you’re well–prepared for any airway emergency. 

 It’s a weekend night, and you're on your way to the home of a married couple. The husband reported that his wife fainted while they were making dinner, adding that he has a dull headache and feels weak. Based on these symptoms, you suspect the husband and wife may have carbon monoxide poisoning, so you’ll have to act quickly, and the patients’ airways may require treatment. 

 From 2014 to 2023, fire deaths increased 27%. Most die not from burns but from oxygen deprivation caused by smoke inhalation. Immediate survivors of the blaze are not out of the woods. The consequences of smoke inhalation can show up hours or even days later. Healthy people can die even when they seem able to breathe. When treating smoke inhalation, here’s what not to do, and what you must do instead. 

Airway obstructions are a common emergency, especially among pediatric and geriatric patients. Choking is a common hazard and a prominent cause of childhood death and injury among children under age four, claiming at least one child’s life every few days. In the case of geriatric patients, the risk of airway obstructions due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonia, and airway injuries greatly increases with age. The airway also becomes more fragile as a person gets older, making it more difficult to treat airway issues. Several techniques can open an obstructed airway, but the right technique depends on the reason for the obstruction.