Tag Archives: Difficulty Breathing

Posted in Roy on Rescue • RoyOnRescue Personal Responses • Allergic Reaction • Asthma • Epi Pen Use • CPR for Providers

Allergic Reaction and No Epi Pen!

Comments:7 Comments

I received another email from a person asking: “What are basic first aid measures for a serious allergic reaction if there is no epi pen available? I watched your training video in your library at ProFirstAid.com but I can’t seem to find an answer.”

Thanks for your answer,
C

Thanks for the question C. I thought this was a good question and a situation which no one wants to find themselves. So I decided to reply back and include it into the RoyOnRescue.com blog response. I hope it helps.

Here’s my reply:

Dear C,

Other than immediately calling EMS/911, if at all possible, let the person rest in position of comfort.
Some of the things that are indicated for first aid providers are:

1. Watch for signs and symptoms of severe allergic reactions like difficulty breathing, itching, hives, swelling, sore throat, anxiety.

2. Remove victim from anything that would aggravate or worsen the symptoms.

3. Give supportive care like rescue breathing, CPR, shock treatment etc when indicated.

4. If at all possible, identify what it is that gave the person their serious allergic reaction and avoid any further exposure to it.

This is not a prescription but simply something that I would do. I always like to have liquid diphenhydramine(Benadryl like antihistimine) on hand that can be taken as prescribed on the container or per doctors order. If I did not have a prescription for a “rescue inhaler” like albuterol or didn’t have an allergy response kit prescribed and filled from my doctor I would really emphasize doing so, and then keeping it up to date as the epi pen and other medications could expire and be useless.

Remember, recognizing the early signs of an allergic reaction and activating EMS/911 as soon as possible is critical. Time is of the essence. Oh! And if you think you may have an allergy, or have ever had a severe allergic reaction, you should be sure to contact your medical professional and get a filled prescription for an emergency allergic reaction kit, AKA: bee sting kit.

I hope this helps, and best wishes.

Roy

Liquid Antihistimine Benadryl

Posted in Roy on Rescue • Airway • Respiratory

Agonal Respirations Kind Of Look Like Sleep Apnea!

Comments:

As I reflected on yesterdays video blog; “Gasping for Life”, I thought I should expound on what real agonal respirations really are and maybe even find some examples for you to see or hear.   Well, let me tell you this has turned out to be more difficult than I imagined.   As I searched the internet for some medical records of what I have seen during episodes of agonal respirations all I could find was one well intentioned but non realistic version of agonal respirations while everything else was simply informational.   I then began thinking about the times I had seen low blood sugar patients or postictal seizure patients and thought…I bet a good snoring respiration would be close!

After some time, I found an actual serious sleep apnea(OSA) case and thought I would include the link in the video blog for you to see.   Though this is not exactly what agonal respirations look or sound like, it is a far cry closer than other replications I found and will at least get the idea across that any form of agonal or distressed drive to breath is not oxygenating the body well and should be treated with Rescue Breathing or Full CPR depending on the symptoms.

I hope this helps clear up any confusion and please let me know if you would like me to expound on anything else relating to this video blog.

Best Wishes,
Roy Shaw, EMT-P

RoyOnRescue.com

Actual Video Of Sleep Apnea (Warning! This video could be disturbing.  Viewer discretion advised.)