COPD

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseas and Chronic Airway Limitations are both synonymous categories of airway disorders that encompass chronic airway disease, such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis, with the long term complications related to a narrowing of the bronchial airways. Both terms are interchangeable. These are chronic diseases, and generally un-reversible. The diseases are generally sub-acute but may have periods of exacerbation as a result of pollutants in the air or respiratory infections. Treatment for these patients often target holitic solutions aimed at preventing a worsening of the disease, through regular vacinations, imunisations, cessation of smoking, or removal of irritants and pulmonary adjunctive treatment options such as salbutamol and oxygen during periods of exacerbation. Some patients with COPD may develop what is known as a hypoxic drive, in which they become used to living with a very low level of blood oxygen saturations, and (unlike a normal healthy person), require a change in the CO2 levels (a much later change than oxygen saturations) to cause the body to recognise the need to increase its respiratory rate or depth. Consequently, some of these patients, if given high concentration of oxygen, may find that they litterally forget to breath as a result of the low CO2 levels in the blood. This, however, should not prevent a paramedic from administering high levels of oxygen in a patient with severe exacerbation of COPD and shortness of breath.