Question

When a patient has​ dyspnea, the​ EMT's primary focus is to manage the condition before the development​ of:

Answer 1

The EMT's primary focus in managing dyspnea is to prevent the development of respiratory failure, which can occur from conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and respiratory distress syndrome (RDS).

Step-by-step explanation:

When a patient has dyspnea, the EMT's primary focus is to manage the condition before the development of serious health problems. Dyspnea, or difficulty breathing, can lead to conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). In COPD, symptoms include shortness of breath and a chronic cough, resulting from the destruction of alveoli walls caused by factors like smoking. This leads to a decrease in the surface area available for gas exchange and trapped air in the lungs.

RDS, on the other hand, primarily affects prematurely born infants due to insufficient production of pulmonary surfactant, which is necessary for proper lung inflation at birth, resulting in impaired gas exchange. Both conditions can significantly hamper oxygen intake and carbon dioxide expulsion, which can result in respiratory failure if not managed appropriately.