Imagine someone having an outbreak of an asthma attack right in front of your eyes. It is normal to react in an absurd manner and feel helpless, not knowing what to do. However, looking at the consequences, not knowing what to do and how to react in such a situation can put the patient’s life at risk, and handling the situation in a mature and careful manner can result in saving a life. Here’s the right way, along with certain important points and tips which you should keep in mind, should you come across a situation like this.
Stay calm
Your first and foremost reaction, while handling an asthma attack, is to remain calm and composed, no matter how aggravated and intense the problem may seem. If the patient notices tension and panic on your face, he might get tensed himself, making it difficult for him to breathe further. The best is to keep a relaxed tone and handle the situation calmly and with ease so as to ensure the sufferer that things are under control and everything is being taken care of and that there is nothing to worry at all. This will induce confidence in the patient, for whom you are a total stranger.
Ask a lot of questions
As soon as you realize somebody struggling to breathe in front of you, understand that it is an asthma attack. Proceed to ask questions and seek answers regarding the patient’s medical routine, or any regime that he might be following. If the sufferer is carrying his written instruction card and is in a situation to brief you about his asthma management plan that he generally follows, things would become simple for you as you would just have to follow what is written on the instruction card. On the other hand, if the patient does not have his written prescription, you should opt to enquire him, or people around, whether any one is carrying an inhaler. Many people carry their instruction card in their inhaler case, so, if you get hold of that, follow the instructions, mentioned to the letter, carefully to provide relief to the sufferer, and use the inhaler in an appropriate manner to provide relief to the patient.
Encourage the patient to sit up
Encourage and guide the patient to sit up and take his asthma medications. By making him sit, you would actually relieve him off some of the symptoms of the attack by administering the medicines in an easy and effective manner. This would even avoid him from choking and inhaling the medicine in a systematic format. In case the patient is not carrying his own inhaler, it can be borrowed from someone else who might be having one.
Helping the patient use the inhaler
Before going ahead with helping the patient with his inhaler, you yourself should be confident enough to use it in the right way. Also, let him know of it in advance. By doing this, you would be preparing the sufferer to take a deep breath and inhale while you puff in the medicine via the inhaler in his mouth. To ensure effective and sufficient medication, give 2 to 4 puffs of the inhaler to the patient and then halt for at least 5 minutes before continuing to give more. Remember, it is very important to ensure that all the medicine inhaled reaches the lungs for it to work effectively and efficiently, and to provide instant relief to the person.
Closely monitor the person
Closely keep an eye on the patient and his breathing movements to determine whether he has been benefited by the medication given or not. If you notice no improvements, immediately get on to your toes to call for further assistance and go ahead with checking for any new handy asthma treatments in the meanwhile. It often takes upto 10 minutes for the inhaler to show results and to work on a patient’s body, but if things do not seem to improve by that time, call the emergency number prevalent in your country. Continue giving the inhaler even if it is does not show any results, doing this will at least not worsen the situation further, if not do any good either. As a matter of fact, it would provide some comfort to the patient and even quicken the process of asthma control.
