First Aid For Pulmonary Bleeding

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

First aid for pulmonary bleeding

Content:

• What is pulmonary bleeding?
• Signs of pulmonary bleeding
• Algorithm of emergency care for pulmonary hemorrhage
• Pulmonary bleeding in newborns

What is pulmonary bleeding?

Pulmonary hemorrhage is the discharge of blood from the pulmonary or bronchial vessels and its leakage through the airways. This condition is caused by various diseases of the respiratory organs and requires urgent medical attention, as it is very dangerous.

It is worth distinguishing between concepts such as pulmonary hemorrhage and hemoptysis. With hemoptysis, the amount of blood is insignificant and it is excreted with a cough, it is present in the sputum in the form of streaks. When bleeding, a significant amount is released. It can run continuously or intermittently. Some of it can either be aspirated or swallowed by humans.

Signs of pulmonary bleeding

In order to determine the presence of pulmonary hemorrhage, one should focus on signs such as:

• It almost always begins with hemoptysis.
• During coughing, the clots have a scarlet or deep dark scarlet color.
• Blood may additionally be secreted through the nose. In this case, it looks like foam, there are no clots in it.
• A person experiences a paroxysmal cough, by its nature it is most often dry at the beginning, subsequently bloody discharge will join it.
• There is a tickling sensation in the throat, with heavy discharge, you can hear a characteristic gurgling.
• On the affected side, the person feels a burning sensation or heat.
• The face becomes pale.
• Blood pressure drops.
• The person becomes covered with cold and sticky sweat.
• The heartbeat becomes more frequent, tachycardia is often observed.
• With profuse blood loss, dizziness is observed, tinnitus, convulsions, vomiting and shortness of breath may be present.
• Also, with the loss of a large volume of blood, amaurosis is observed. It is expressed in loss of vision.
• Sometimes asphyxiation can occur.
• If bleeding continues for more than 2 days, a person may develop aspiration pneumonia.

Algorithm of emergency care for pulmonary hemorrhage

Pulmonary bleeding that occurs in a person requires urgent care, as it is life threatening. Therefore, if a similar condition is observed in a person nearby, then, first of all, it is necessary to call an ambulance.

Before her arrival, you need to be guided by the following algorithm of actions:

1. The person should be seated in such a way that his body is slightly tilted forward, and his head is not thrown back. This will avoid asphyxiation and prevent him from choking on blood.
2. If it is not possible to seat the patient, then he is laid out on the side from which the lung is damaged. It is important to do this in order to compress it in the chest, thereby reducing blood loss. In addition, this method of spreading will prevent blood from flowing into a healthy lung. It is important that the head is always turned to the side.
3. A heating pad or ice pack should be placed on the chest. If one is not available, then you can replace it with any other similar item, for example, a bottle of cold water. This exercise will spasm small vessels and somewhat reduce blood loss. Apply cold for 15 minutes, with a break of 2 minutes.

4. The patient needs to be reassured, you should not let him talk. In such a state, a person needs absolute physical rest.
5. Do not give water to a person with pulmonary bleeding.

As for medicines, they can only be used after consulting a doctor. However, it is not always possible to get it, therefore, in extreme cases, you can independently use a drug such as Vikasol. It is injected intramuscularly and helps stop bleeding. Dizion is used for the same purpose, but this agent requires dilution with saline and intravenous administration. For seizures, Seduxen or Diazepam is administered, and Promedol or Fentanyl to relieve pain.

Pulmonary bleeding in newborns

Pulmonary hemorrhage in newborns is not too rare. It occurs in 1 child in a thousand and may be associated with such reasons as: severe labor with asphyxia of the newborn, premature pregnancy, hypothermia, congenital heart disease, coagulation disorders, hemorrhagic pulmonary edema. Nevertheless, modern neonatal resuscitation is different in that in most cases the child can be helped and taken out of a dangerous state.

Recently, pulmonary hemorrhage has become less common and due to more careful monitoring of newborns. Indeed, most often this condition is preceded by inhibition of respiratory function, hypoglycemia, scleredema.

In order to prevent pulmonary bleeding, doctors take a number of actions, which include the following measures:

• Collapse resuscitation, with the replacement of plasma proteins.
• Removal of pulmonary edema with Frusemide and, in some cases, Morphine.
• Prevention and correction of possible blood clotting.
• If necessary, artificial ventilation of the lungs at high frequencies.
• Surfactan replacement therapy, which helps the child to normalize respiratory function.

Severely premature babies deserve special attention. They have an increased risk of pulmonary bleeding. It is caused by such factors as: pulmonary edema, suffocation with severe lack of oxygen, intrauterine or acquired infection, blood clotting disorders, patent ductus arteriosus.

Most often, pulmonary bleeding in premature newborns opens on the 3rd day of life. The severity is different, it varies from minor impurities of blood in the secreted mucus that collects in the trachea to massive blood loss. The more intense the bleeding, the faster the general condition of the child and the functionality of his lungs deteriorate.

Pulmonary hemorrhage is a life-threatening condition. It is dangerous for both newborns and adults, and therefore requires competent first aid and urgent hospitalization.

Author of the article: Alekseeva Maria Yurievna | Therapist

Education: From 2010 to 2016 Practitioner of the therapeutic hospital of the central medical-sanitary unit No. 21, city of elektrostal. Since 2016 she has been working in the diagnostic center No. 3.