Development of a Work of Breathing Scale for Bedside Use
Dr. Raúl J. Gazmuri MD, PhD, FCCM
Dana Weiss
-
About the webinar
Work of Breathing (WOB) represents the work performed by the respiratory muscles to mobilize gases in and out of the lungs ensuring that CO2 removal and O2 delivery appropriately meet systemic metabolic demands. Increased WOB is not recognized by arterial blood gas analysis (a widespread practice when assessing patients in respiratory distress) and, if untreated, risks the development of respiratory muscle fatigue leading to hypoventilation, apnea, and cardiac arrest.
The lack of a practical non-invasive bedside tool to assess WOB prompted Dr Gazmuri to develop several years back a WOB Scale to be used inside – and more recently – outside the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
The WOB Scale was helpful during the COVID-19 pandemic and has proven to be a useful bedside tool to promptly identify increased WOB leading to interventions aimed at reducing respiratory load and/or instituting non-invasive or invasive support of the respiratory muscles.
Who should attend?
Healthcare providers caring for adult patients in the Emergency Department and in-hospital settings including ICU and Medical & Surgical Wards:
- Physicians
- Nurses
- Respiratory therapists
- Nurse practitioners
- Physician assistants
What you will learn
Recognition of increased Work of Breathing (WOB) is important to timely treat underlying conditions imposing respiratory loads and/or institute respiratory muscle support. A simple WOB Scale is presented that can be used at the bedside by healthcare providers for the recognition and management of increased WOB.