Respiratory distress develops in deployed MWDs most commonly due to trauma. MWDs in respiratory dis-tress are fighting to get oxygen: they are anxious, usually have obvious labored breathing, usually have their head and neck extended and elbows and upper legs held away from the chest, don‘t want to lie down, and fight restraint and handling. Cyanosis, if present, is a late finding. MWDs in respiratory distress typically have 1 of 3 characteristic breathing patterns that help localize the problem.

 

Figure 23.  Clinical Algorithm for Differentiating Cause of Distress Based on Breathing Pattern.1

Figure 23 presents a clinical algorithm for differentiating the most likely cause of a patient's distress based on the pattern of breathing.

Figure 23.  Clinical Algorithm for Differentiating Causes of Respiratory Arrest Based on Breathing Pattern.