An anxious patient is having rapid and shallow breathing. After a few moments, he complains of a tingling sensation.

 

• What could be the causes of this tingling sensation?
• What are the various patterns of respiration and their significance?
• Ethnicity and culture influence risk factors for heart disease. Do you agree? Why or why not?
• What is the technique of percussion and palpation of the chest wall for tenderness, symmetry, bulges, fremitus, and thoracic expansion? Explain.
• Would you anticipate hearing hyper-resonance on a patient with a history of tobacco use? Why or why not?
• What are the mechanics of breathing with reference to lung borders and the anatomical structure of the lungs and diaphragm?

1. That is caused by the increased blood flow on specific parts of the body like the face. A response called fight or flight.

2. Eupnea is the normal breathing pattern. Difficulty breathing is dyspnea. Orthopnea is when there is difficulty breathing when lying flat. Kussmaul's pattern is a form of hyperventilation that is caused by an increase in tidal volume with or without increase in respiration. Apnea is the absence of breathing. Bradypnea is respiration lower than normal. Tachypnea is higher than normal. Cheyne stokes pattern is an increasing-decreasing depth of breathing followed by period of apnea.

3. When palpating for tenderness or bulges, use only the fingertips. When assessing for symmetry, fremitus and thoracic expansion, place both hands with fingers spread apart under the person's axilla, on the lateral side of the chest.

4. Yes because tobacco can cause build up of nicotine in the alveolar sacs. When the oxygen gets in, some of it is trapped and can not get out. Thus, hyper-resonance occurs.

5. When breathing, contraction and relaxation of chest muscle acts to change the thoracic cavity volume. As the lungs, as well as the thoracic cavity expands, this changes the volume of lungs and in turn chances the pressure inside it.