Asphyxia is a condition that carries an extreme danger to human life, accompanied by a violation of gas exchange, as well as the appearance of hypoxia. As a result: impaired full breathing and problems with the circulatory process.
Types of Asphyxia
According to the degree of suffocation, asphyxia is classified into acute and subacute. Also in medicine, this syndrome is divided (depending on the appearance mechanism) into the following types:
- Traumatic asphyxia - suffocation that occurs as a result of damage to organs inside the chest due to compression.
- Toxic asphyxia. It develops due to inhibition of the respiratory center. It can also be as a result of paralysis of the respiratory muscles.
- Mechanical asphyxia. It develops with mechanical action: the cessation of air intake in the respiratory tract. It can be a compression or narrowing.
Traumatic asphyxia
It is also called superior vena cava syndrome or chest compression. This type of asphyxiation takes place when there is strong pressure on the chest or the upper abdomen is pressed down. Most often, doctors record traumatic asphyxia during strong crowds (when people are pushing and crushing each other in the crowd), during earthquakes (when a heavy closet in an apartment falls on a person or a tree collapses on it). Often, specialists are faced with miners who fell under a collapse, as a result of which there was a compression of the chest.
Syndrome of traumatic asphyxia is called the superior vena cava syndrome because pressure rises in it and microbleeds can occur in the skin, as well as in all internal organs and even in the brain.
First symptoms
The very first symptoms that will help diagnose traumatic asphyxia include:
- Spotted hemorrhages in the skin. Especially in places where clothing is closely adjacent to the body.
- You can also notice the difference between the upper and lower body. At the same time, the neck and head look as usual, and the lower parts are paler.
- Also, a person can breathe faster and poorly navigate in space.
- In exceptional, severe cases, loss of consciousness is possible.
First aid
Every person who knows its basics can provide first aid for traumatic asphyxia. To begin with, it is necessary to help the victim remove clothing that fetters movement. Then you need to move the person to fresh air. If it is indoors, you need to open all windows and doors. Good air ventilation is one of the main factors that determine the speed of recovery of a patient.
In the mildest cases, it will be enough to attach an ice bag to your forehead. If the patient is in an excited state, it is necessary to give him an injection with a sedative drug. In cases of moderate severity, the patient should be placed in a slightly elevated position and full access to fresh air should be opened for him. In the most difficult situations, when a person is unconscious, he needs to be given artificial respiration using AMBU (bag AMBU - a device for manual artificial ventilation of the lungs ) A 40% glucose solution and lasix should also be administered intravenously to prevent cerebral edema.
In a severe case, you need to hospitalize the patient in the intensive care unit. In milder situations - in traumatology or thoracic department. In this case, it is necessary to transport a person in a supine position with a raised head. A mild degree of asphyxiation does not require hospitalization - it is enough to be under the supervision of doctors for one hour. Then the patient is discharged for outpatient treatment, but only in the absence of disturbances in the respiratory system.
Asphyxia in newborns
Alas, this syndrome can attack not only adults, but also only small children born into the world. Forms of traumatic asphyxia in children:
- Severe suffocation. The child has pale skin, heart palpitations. Breathing at this time is very difficult or completely absent.
- A moderate degree of suffocation is characterized by lethargy and decreased reflexes. The skin of the child changes from pink to cyanotic. Breathing becomes more frequent, short-term interruption - apnea is possible.
- A mild degree of asphyxiation is when a newborn has abnormalities in the work of the respiratory organs and the reaction to irritants weakens.
Traumatic asphyxia, like its other species, in newborns is evaluated on the Apgar scale.
Preventative measures
As a prophylaxis of asphyxia, it is necessary to avoid, prevent and in every possible way prevent situations in which suffocation can occur. For example, it is necessary to treat dangerous diseases prematurely, to prevent any injuries of the sternum. You also need to protect yourself as much as possible from toxic substances and poisons. After asphyxiation, doctors strongly recommend that they be closely monitored and monitored by qualified specialists.