A discomfort in chest accompanied by shortness of breath and a tingling sensation in fingers or toes might be a sign of hyperventilation, more commonly known as panic attacks. This is the condition wherein you need more amount of oxygen than normal.

And, you need to be aware of the symptom, especially if you are suffering from COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). With COPD, experiencing symptoms of hyperventilation may turn adverse, and there are enough reasons to know the ways to manage it, which is indeed possible.

Symptoms
Hyperventilating or over-breathing can be accompanied by or can cause various symptoms in people. Apart from the common symptoms described above, some patients may also experience dizziness, palpitations, sweating profusely, wheeze, feelings of suffocation or choking, tinnitus, weakness, etc. Some may also feel highly anxious or tensed. Though very uncommon, still, one may suffer from loss of consciousness as a result of hyperventilating.

Dealing with hyperventilation
Depending on the severity and type of hyperventilation, the available treatment option may vary from person to person. From various home remedies to certain prescribed drugs, treatments are available easily. However, it s through practicing a few techniques on noticing the symptoms that can help one deal with hyperventilation. Some of those useful methods are, breathing through pursed lips, holding the breath for 10 to 15 seconds, trying to take deep breaths into the belly rather than in the chest and breathing slowly into cupped hands or a paper bag. These techniques will help regulate the breathing.

Preventing hyperventilation



As with many conditions, being aware of the preventive measures is crucial to managing the symptoms and the same is true with hyperventilation as well. A few measures to follow by COPD patients to prevent hyperventilation
Wearing tight fitting clothes restrict normal breathing. Therefore, wearing clothes that are loose on the upper chest portion can assist in preventing over breathing.
Opting for light exercises regularly (approved by the doctors, as having COPD needs extra attention in activities) helps in reducing stress levels and anxiety, which again can play a crucial role in preventing hyperventilating.
Though initially, it may be difficult, still, one must try to breathe through his or her nose and close the mouth for preventing over-breathing, as closed mouth makes it extremely difficult to hyperventilate.
Further, sleeping well during the night, eating a balanced diet, reducing the intake of caffeinated beverages like tea and coffee, and practicing various techniques for relaxation can be helpful too in preventing hyperventilation.
In case, the episodes of hyperventilation last for more than 30 minutes, even after trying all the techniques mentioned above, one should not delay in seeking necessary medical attention.
Growing episodes of hyperventilation or over-breathing can leave one feeling breathless. Therefore, when people with COPD notice any symptom of hyperventilation, consulting with pulmonology specialist must be of top priority. Neglecting this particular condition for an extended period may end up causing further complications. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Hyperventilation - How COPD Patients Can Deal With It?

Pulmonary Function Tests or PFTs are a set of tests that are used to determine, measure or observe the functioning of the lungs. The most common pulmonary function tests used are spirometry, gas diffusion, and lung plethysmography. 

Highlights of pulmonary function tests

A spirometry test is used to measure the amount of air inhaled and exhaled. It also measures the amount of time taken to complete a respiration cycle.
A lung plethysmography measures the amount of air in the lungs after the patient has taken a deep breath. It also measures the amount of air that remains in the lungs after the patient has exhaled as much air as possible.
What does a Pulmonary Function Test measure?
Pulmonary function tests would not only check how well the person is breathing but also how effectively the lungs are able to conduct oxygen to the rest of the body. In addition to air flow, these tests would measure the size and volume of the lung and lung diffusion.

These tests can also be used to measure

Total Lung Capacity   the amount of air present in the lungs after breathing in deeply
Forced Vital Capacity   the amount of air that can be exhaled after breathing in deeply
Minute Volume   the amount of air exhaled per minute
Vital Capacity   the total volume of air that can be breathed out after inhaling as much as possible
Tidal Volume   the amount of air inhaled or exhaled when breathing normally
Maximum voluntary ventilation   the amount of air that can be inhaled and exhaled in one minute
Functional Residual Capacity   the amount of air that remains in the lungs when breathing normally
Forced Expiratory Flow   the flow or volume of air during an exhalation
Peak Expiratory Flow Rate   the rate at which a person can exhale
When are Pulmonary Function Tests recommended?
A physician might recommend a patient undergo a PFT as part of a routine physical check-up. This test would be advised if the patient is experiencing any symptoms associated with lung problems or disorders such as asthma, respiratory infections, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD. A doctor would also use these tests to monitor and check whether a certain treatment prescribed for a lung disease or condition is working effectively.

Pulmonary function tests are safe as they are non-invasive but it is important to follow the instructions of the doctor or technician before, after and during the test. It is important to make your doctor aware of any surgeries, respiratory infections, chest pains or heart attacks that you might have experienced before the test. If you are taking any medications you might need to follow the advice of the doctor as to whether you can take them before the test.

Your doctor would also advice you on how to prepare for the test such as not eating a large meal, avoiding caffeine and wearing loose-fitting clothes. If you have any doubts, concerns or queries discuss them with your doctor.

Pulmonary Function Tests - Why Is It Required?

Automatic Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator is an electronic device that is located in the chest of the patient suffering from arrhythmia. Arrhythmia is a condition which causes abnormal rhythm of heartbeat in the patients. It is a life-threatening condition. The device is located in the chest to correct the rhythm of a heartbeat.

AICD device works in two ways:

Firstly, it tries to correct the abnormal heartbeat rhythm and release high- speed heartbeat pace. This is called cardioversion. Patients with AICD generally do not feel the process.

However, if the effect of cardioversion is null then the device will give a mild electric shock to the patient's heart to correct arrhythmia and reset the rhythm.

This second method is called defibrillation. The patient can feel the defibrillation.

The modern-day AICD device is programmed to store the data about the patient s heart rhythm. Doctors use the programmed device which contains your condition and provides medically correct therapy.

Preparation for AICD Implantation

The patient is required to fast six hours before undergoing the surgery. On admission, prescribed medicine is given to the patient and the latest heart condition is measured by an ECG test. If the patient is on blood-thinning medication, then it will be stopped 24 hours before the surgery.

The procedure will be carried out by a cardiologist. The patient will remain under observation in the hospital for at least two days.

Procedure

The entire process of setting up the device in the chest of the patient takes about 2 hours. The patient is sedated, and the area below the collarbone is numbed for the operation. A small incision is made in the chest area. With the help of imaging techniques, cardiologist sets up the device in the chest. The device is then connected to the veins and the heart. After the surgery, the patient is kept under observation. Heart rate, blood pressure, and overall health condition are observed by the doctors to determine successful implantation of Automatic Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (AICD). Post Procedure After the successful recovery of the patient, doctors usually discharge the patient with AICD attached. The doctors give complete care instructions of the device along with health. Doctors also guide the patient through the list of activities that one can and cannot perform. AICD is a life-saving device. Hence, proper care and regular check-ups are recommended by the doctors. The regular check-up of the device is also essential since the device runs on a battery. The doctors also train the patient about the workings of the device. They will also explain about the mild shocks of the device one may receive to correct the arrhythmia. Before leaving, make sure the site of the surgery is dry and healing, and you do not have a fever for the past 24 hours.

AICD Implantation - Know Procedure Of It!

It is nightmarish when your babies have cough, congestion and stomach aches – and they happen often. The littles ones can't express very well, but as parents you might be able to figure out. Here are common and highly effective home remedies to these baby ailments.
 
1) COLD & COUGH : Honey is highly soothing for temporary cough relief. You can prepare a warm drink with ginger, honey, and lemon juice to drink before bedtime. The ginger and lemon soothe the throat, and the honey loosens up mucus and also acts as a gentle cough suppressant.  Don't give honey to babies ages one or under, though, due to the risk of infantile botulism. For the really little ones, a hot steam vaporizer usually does the trick. 
 
2) NASAL CONGESTION: A stuffy nose is an added challenge with babies and toddlers, as they can’t blow their nose. Prepare a solution of salt in lukewarm water, put this saline solution into the nose, then let your baby lie down for a while, and use the aspirator to remove the loosened mucus. This remedy is safe for babies as well as toddlers.
 
3) STOMACH UPSET/VOMITING:  Stomach aches or infections are the most difficult to get around and can be highly uneasy for the child. Try giving light liquids like dal/rice and vegetable stock, the best that works for everything is breat milk. If you can't breast feed, try to boil fennel seeds (sauf) in milk to make the baby's stomach feel better. 
 
Click on Consult Privately to ask me a private question about your child's health.

From Lybrate: If you found this tip useful, please thank the doctor by clicking on the heart icon below. Also, spread good health by sharing this tip with your loved ones.

3 Must-know Home Remedies For Every Parent

Brain metastases from systemic cancer are the most common type of intracranial neoplasm in adults, being almost 10 times more common than primary malignant brain tumors, which cause a significant burden on the management of patients with advanced cancer (1). The lungs represent one of the most frequent sources of metastases to the brain, with a probability of (36 64%) (3). Symptoms suffered by the patients include headaches, epilepsy, focal weakness, numbness or changes in mental status. The prognosis of patients with brain metastases is not optimistic and the median survival time is  1 2 months if left untreated. The 1-year survival rate has been recorded as 10.4% (4,5). The treatment of metastatic brain tumors is complex; not only due to being able to provide local control and improve neurological function, but also due to factors such as age, performance and systemic disease status and the size, volume, location and number of metastases at presentation

CyberKnife is a robotic radiosurgery system with a linear particle accelerator (linac), which is coupled with real-time imaging to track and compensate for the patient s or target s motion. As a relatively non-invasive treatment modality, CyberKnife demonstrates certain benefits, including a more accurate target localization and improved dose delivery for the management of metastatic brain tumors that allows higher biologically effective dose delivery without increased incidence of toxicity.

In the present case, the results for the treatment of multiple brain metastases after CyberKnife surgery with a 7 8 Gy marginal dose was promising. CyberKnife for metastatic brain tumors is an effective and safe method for reducing the marginal dose prescribed for multiple brain metastases and for minimizing the radiation-related neurotoxicities. In conclusion, CyberKnife, a focused, highly-targeted radiosurgery and fractionated radiotherapy is particularly useful for multiple brain metastases. CyberKnife provides the advantage of the management of local recurrence and a tolerable complication rate. Although the treatment of brain metastases has been performed with CyberKnife, the clinical significance and optimal dose fractionation scheme require further investigation.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

CyberKnife Therapy Of 24 Multiple Brain Metastases From Lung Cancer!

The inflammations of the lining in the bronchial tubes, which are responsible for carrying air from and to your lungs are known as bronchitis. It is a respiratory disease and more than a million cases are reported each year. Bronchitis requires medical diagnosis by your healthcare provider and can be chronic or acute. Cold or other respiratory infections can cause acute bronchitis whereas smoking leads to chronic bronchitis. Acute bronchitis usually lasts for few days but with persistent cough. Whereas, chronic bronchitis can be responsible for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Symptoms of bronchitis:
The symptoms common to both acute and chronic bronchitis are given below:
1. Cough which may form mucus
2. Body aches and breathlessness
3. Headaches, blocked nose and sinuses
4. Fever with chills
5. Wheezing

The diagnosis of bronchitis is done by your doctor who will ask you about your cough. Some other questions may include your medical history, about smoking or whether you have had cases of flu or cold recently.

Treatment for bronchitis:
Your doctor will mainly recommend pain relievers and cough syrup along with warm air to breathe mainly at indoors. However your doctor may prescribe the following medications in cases of severe bronchitis:

1. Cough medicine: These medicines will help to remove mucus and irritants from your lungs. Medicines may not be able to suppress the symptoms completely but will give you relief from pain.
2. Bronchodilators: Which clears out the mucus by opening your bronchial tubes.
3. Mucolytics: These helps loosen mucus in the airways and help to cough up sputum.
4. Oxygen therapy: It will help to improve the oxygen intake when you face difficulty in breathing.
5. Therapy: Pulmonary program will include a therapist who would work to improve your breathing.
6. Medicines: Using anti inflammatory medicines to reduce damage to your lungs tissue and to also avoid chronic inflammation.

Prevention of bronchitis:

Acute and chronic bronchitis can be reduced by the following measures; however, they cannot be completely prevented:
1. Avoiding dust, smoke, and air pollution. You can always wear a mask when you are on the road or in traffic.
2. Washing your hands often to avoid germs and infections.
3. Avoiding smoking as it can cause harmful damage to your lungs.

All About Bronchitis

Don't wait any longer, manage your Pediatric Pulmonologist online with a Lybrate doctor today

Consult for Pediatric Pulmonologist - Online and Easy!

FilterClear All

COMMON SPECIALITIES

COMMON ISSUES