Respiratory arrest: symptoms, causes and what to do

Respiratory arrest corresponds to the interruption of the body’s gas exchange for more than 5 minutes, that is, there is no distribution of oxygen to the body’s organs during this period, which can result in irreversible damage to vital organs, such as the heart and brain, for example. .

It is common that as a consequence of respiratory arrest, there is cardiac arrest, characterizing cardiorespiratory arrest. Know how to identify cardiorespiratory arrest and see what to do.

Respiratory arrest is a medical emergency and, therefore, it is recommended that mouth-to-mouth breathing be performed initially, in addition to calling SAMU so that the necessary measures can be taken, which may involve clearing the airways or performing mechanical ventilation.

Symptoms of respiratory arrest

The main sign indicative of respiratory arrest is the absence of inhaling and exhaling chest movements. Furthermore, other signs and symptoms that may be indicative of respiratory arrest are:

• Unconsciousness;
• Purple face;
• Blue tongue and nails.
• Absence of air exit through the nostrils;
• Immobility.

It is important that in the presence of signs and symptoms indicative of respiratory arrest, supportive measures are quickly initiated, which normally involves performing artificial respiration, such as mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-nose respiration, and contact with SAMU so that the most appropriate treatment is initiated.

Main causes

Respiratory arrest may be a consequence of obstruction of the lower or upper airways, due to loss of muscle tone, which causes the tongue to move into the oropharynx and cause obstruction, or be due to the presence of blood, mucus, vomit or body strange.

Furthermore, respiratory arrest may be a consequence of inhalation of vapors or gases, adverse effects of medications, nervous system diseases, such as stroke or tumor, or metabolic changes, for example.

This situation can also happen when there are changes in the respiratory muscles due to diseases, such as myasthenia gravis, botulism or Guillain-Barré syndrome, for example.

What to do

To identify respiratory arrest, it is necessary to call the victim and check if the person is breathing, placing an ear close to the nose and mouth and looking towards the victim’s chest.

If you cannot feel air coming out of your nose and mouth, cannot hear breathing and cannot see your chest moving, you should immediately call for medical help and, if possible, start artificial respiration, which may be mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. or nose-to-mouth, which is more suitable for children.

To perform mouth-to-mouth breathing, it is important to place the person lying on their back, tilt their head, lifting their chin, and cover the person’s nostrils. Then, you must place your lips around the victim’s lips, inhale naturally and then blow the air into the person’s mouth. See in more detail how to do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Furthermore, after the arrival of the team or after the person arrives at the health service, more appropriate procedures can be initiated to reverse the respiratory arrest, which may involve clearing the airways and performing mechanical ventilation.