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Can Shortness Of Breath Be Treated?
Hi Dr., I am a caregiver to an 87 year old and a hospice patient with congestive heart failure, has an oxygen 24/7, has liquid morphine .5ml every/hr. She is in nebulizer and bedridden and alert. She has an episode of shortness of breath attack once in a while and it happened at 3 or 5 am when she wake up. The hospice nurse told me just give her 1 push of morphine every 10 minutes. What is the other relief for her. Sometimes she s yelling, she needs help, she wants to have treatment in the hospital, but she is hospice. Thank you. Jean
Wed, 27 May 2015
Dear Madam
Thanks for your query.
The exact treatment for this episodic breathlessness depends upon the cause of breathlessness.
If you could find any disturbance of rhythm at that particular time? If her diuretics dose need to be adjusted, especially the time? If she coughs a lot followed by sputum production at that time indicating need of clearing her airways frequently. A little dose of home oxygen helps sometime.
Hope this helps to some extent.
Sincerely
Sukhvinder
Thanks for your query.
The exact treatment for this episodic breathlessness depends upon the cause of breathlessness.
If you could find any disturbance of rhythm at that particular time? If her diuretics dose need to be adjusted, especially the time? If she coughs a lot followed by sputum production at that time indicating need of clearing her airways frequently. A little dose of home oxygen helps sometime.
Hope this helps to some extent.
Sincerely
Sukhvinder
I find this answer helpful
Hello dear jean,I can understand your concern for your patient.well if she is getting recurrent spells of breathlessness inspite of round the clock morphine and nebuliser,we must ascertain that she does not have minor pulmonary embolisatins.
I totally agree that she should be hospitalised and evaluated for repeated spells of nocturnal breathlessness ..
I appreciate your sincerity
I wish you and your patient all the very best
Dr.Teli,MD
I totally agree that she should be hospitalised and evaluated for repeated spells of nocturnal breathlessness ..
I appreciate your sincerity
I wish you and your patient all the very best
Dr.Teli,MD
I find this answer helpful
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