What Are the Clinical Manifestations of Airway Obstruction?
Airway obstruction is a common disease in the elderly, mainly associated with bronchiectasis or lung diseases. Generally, airway obstructions can be classified into two categories: acute airway obstruction and chronic airway obstruction. Acute airway obstruction occurs rapidly, and patients usually experience severe dyspnea and loud exhalation sounds. In contrast, chronic airway obstruction develops slowly and typically manifests as dry cough and asthma.
1. Clinical Manifestations of Airway Obstruction
Clinically, airway obstruction can be divided into acute and chronic types. The specific symptoms are as follows: Acute upper airway obstruction may present with sudden severe dyspnea, wheezing sounds heard in the lungs, and progressive exhalation rattling sounds. In severe cases, there may be manifestations of acute respiratory failure such as hypoxia. Early symptoms of chronic upper airway obstruction are not obvious and may gradually manifest as irritating dry cough, shortness of breath, and wheezing sounds, which can be transmitted to the chest and may be misdiagnosed as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. If caused by a tumor, blood may be present in the sputum, and vocal cord paralysis may lead to hoarseness.
2. Treatment Methods for Airway Obstruction
To treat airway obstruction, the patient's position should be changed to have their head tilted to one side and chin extended forward to minimize the obstruction of the neck airway. Oxygen inhalation is suitable for patients undergoing tracheotomy. In cases where tracheotomy cannot be performed promptly, a 16-gauge needle can be used to puncture the trachea through the cricothyroid membrane or its lower part for oxygen supply. If the tumor obstruction is too low in the chest or mediastinum to allow tracheotomy or cricothyroid membrane puncture, anesthetic endotracheal intubation may be considered. For intratracheal tumors, tumor resection under bronchoscopy may be considered.
3. Causes of Airway Obstruction
Upper airway obstruction is a clinical emergency caused by severe obstruction of upper airway airflow due to various reasons. Its clinical manifestations are non-specific and can be easily confused with diseases such as bronchial asthma and obstructive lung disease. Clinically, this condition is more common in children and less common in adults. There are many causes of upper airway obstruction, with exogenous foreign bodies being the most common cause. Other common causes include laryngeal dyskinesia, infection, tumors, trauma, and iatrogenic factors.
