Abstract :
The perception of inadequate or labored breathing is called dyspnea. Acute dyspnea in emergency merits immediate treatment for maintaining airway, breathing and circulation before proceeding to investigations and treatment of underlying pathology. This article aims to help the clinician identify the various etiological factors of dyspnea in the emergency setting, and how to triage patients and manage accordingly. Besides the usual cardiac and pulmonary causes of dyspnea, here we discuss other etiologies often encountered in emergency departments like renal, metabolic, neuromuscular, throat, neck and mental disorders.
Keyword :
Breathlessness, Dyspnea, Emergency department, History, Diagnosis, Therapy