What is the difference between pink puffers and blue bloaters?
The” blue bloaters” represent those who have chronic bronchitis and the “pink puffers” represent patients with emphysema.
Why do Blue bloaters have edema?
Mucus forms when the airways are irritated and inflamed, this mucus makes it harder to breath. The body does not take in enough oxygen, resulting in cyanosis. This causes an increased strain on the heart, eventually leading to right sided heart failure and edema.
Why are pink puffers skinny?
Cachexia: At the pulmonary level, the low CO leads to pulmonary cachexia; which induces weight loss and muscle wasting. This gives these patients the characteristic “pink-puffer” appearance.
What does the body do to compensate for the hypoxia of a blue bloater?
The body compensates with lowered cardiac output and hyperventilation. This V/Q mismatch results in relatively limited blood flow through a fairly well oxygenated lung with normal blood gases and pressures in the lung, in contrast to the situation in blue bloaters.
Why is there no cyanosis in emphysema?
Emphysema sufferers are called “pink puffers”. That is they hyperventilate. Alternatively, because they hyperventilate, emphysema sufferers are able to maintain adequate blood pH levels: they are not cyanotic, which would suggest a low blood oxygen level.
Why do emphysema patients pursed lips?
Pursed lip breathing works by moving oxygen into your lungs and carbon dioxide out of your lungs. This technique helps to keep airways open longer so that you can remove the air that is trapped in your lungs by slowing down your breathing rate and relieving shortness of breath.
What is pursed lip breathing good for?
Pursed lip breathing helps control shortness of breath, and provides a quick and easy way to slow your pace of breathing, making each breath more effective. When you feel short of breath, pursed lip breathing helps get more oxygen into your lungs and calms you down so you can better control your breath.
Why is it important not to give patients with COPD 100% oxygen?
In some individuals, the effect of oxygen on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is to cause increased carbon dioxide retention, which may cause drowsiness, headaches, and in severe cases lack of respiration, which may lead to death.