| mouth breathing | Abnormal breathing through the mouth, usually associated with obstructive disorders of the nasal passages. (12 Dec 1998) |
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| work of breathing | Respiratory muscle contraction during inspiration. The work is accomplished in three phases: that required to expand the lungs against its elastic forces (lung compliance work), that required to overcome the viscosity of the lung and chest wall structures (tissue resistance work), and that required to overcome airway resistance during the movement of air into the lungs (airway resistance work). Work of breaking does not refer to expiration, which is entirely a passive process caused by elastic recoil of the lung and chest cage. (guyton, textbook of medical physiology, 8th ed, p406) (12 Dec 1998) |
| continuous positive pressure breathing | Artificial ventilation in which all inspirations are provided by positive pressure applied to the airway. Synonym: continuous positive pressure breathing, continuous positive pressure ventilation, intermittent positive pressure breathing, intermittent positive pressure ventilation. (05 Mar 2000) |
| positive-negative pressure breathing | Inflation of the lungs with positive pressure and deflation with negative pressure by an automatic ventilator. (05 Mar 2000) |
| pursed lips breathing | A technique in which air is inhaled slowly through the nose and mouth and exhaled slowly through pursed lips; used by patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to improve their breathing by increasing resistance to air flow, forcibly dilating small bronchi. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Hunt's paradoxical phenomenon | In dystonia musculorum deformans, if an attempt is made at plantar flexion of the foot when the foot is in dorsal spasm the only response is an increase of the extensor, or dorsal, spasm; if, however, the patient is told to extend the foot which is already in a state of strong dorsal flexion, there will be a sudden movement of plantar flexion; the same phenomenon, mutatis mutandis, is observed when there is a condition of strong plantar flexion. (05 Mar 2000) |
| shallow breathing | A type of breathing with abnormally low tidal volume. (05 Mar 2000) |
| stertorous breathing | Harsh, noisy breathing usually heard in an comatous patient. Synonym: stertorous breathing. (05 Mar 2000) |
| intermittent positive-pressure breathing | Application of positive pressure to the inspiratory phase of spontaneous respiration. See: controlled mechanical ventilation (12 Dec 1998) |
| embolism, paradoxical | Passage of a clot (thrombus) from a vein to an artery. When clots in veins break off (embolise) , they travel first to the right side of the heart and, normally, then to the lungs where they lodge. The lungs act as a filter to prevent the clots from entering the arterial circulation. However, when there is a hole in the wall between the two upper chambers of the heart (an atrial septal defect), a clot can cross from the right to the left side of the heart, then pass into the arteries as a paradoxical embolism. Once in the arterial circulation, a clot can travel to the brain, block a vessel there, and cause a stroke (cerebrovascular accident). Because of the risk of stroke from paradoxical embolism, it is usually recommended that even small atrial septal defects be repaired. Also called crossed embolism. (12 Dec 1998) |
| kussmaul breathing | Air hunger. (12 Dec 1998) |
| Kussmaul's paradoxical pulse | An exaggeration of the normal variation in the pulse volume with respiration, becoming weaker with inspiration and stronger with expiration; characteristic of cardiac tamponade, rare in constrictive pericarditis; so called because these changes are independent of changes in the cardiac rate as measured directly or by electrocardiogram. Synonym: pulsus paradoxus, pulsus respiratione intermittens. (05 Mar 2000) |