Anatomy subcategory
Airway and Breathing Emergencies
Mnemonics for airway obstruction, acute asthma, pneumothorax and ventilation.
Entries in Airway and Breathing Emergencies
Moderate, acute severe, life threatening and near fatal
A memory aid for grading the severity of an acute asthma attack.
Mild or severe, decided by whether the patient can cough effectively
A memory aid for the treatment of foreign body airway obstruction.
Controlled oxygen, bronchodilators, steroids, and antibiotics if infected
A mnemonic for treating an acute exacerbation of COPD.
Feel the notch between shield and ring, that's the emergency door
Mnemonic for the emergency airway landmark of the cricothyroid membrane.
Croup barks and is gradual; epiglottitis drools and is sudden
A memory aid for distinguishing croup from epiglottitis in a child with stridor.
Tongue goes up, airway's stuck
Mnemonic for the key danger of Ludwig's angina.
CPAP for oxygenation, BiPAP for ventilation
A memory aid for when to use CPAP and when to use BiPAP.
From nasal cannulae to non-rebreathe and Venturi masks
A memory aid for the oxygen delivery devices and the concentrations they give.
Variable devices depend on the patient's breathing pattern; fixed devices do not
A memory aid for fixed and variable performance oxygen devices.
Uvula runs away from the pus bay
Mnemonic for the direction of uvula deviation in a peritonsillar abscess.
Primary or secondary, with symptoms and size deciding treatment
A memory aid for classifying and treating a pneumothorax.
The seven Ps, from preparation to post-intubation management
A mnemonic for the preparation and steps of rapid sequence induction.
Type 1 is hypoxaemia alone; type 2 adds hypercapnia
A memory aid for distinguishing type 1 from type 2 respiratory failure.
Danger space, no floor at all, straight down to the chest you fall
Mnemonic for why the retropharyngeal space is called the danger space.
Rate, accessory muscles, recession, position and the ability to speak
A memory aid for recognising increased work of breathing.
Between rings two and three, below the cricoid, that's the key
Mnemonic for the correct level of a surgical tracheostomy.
Type 1 is a gas exchange problem, type 2 a ventilation problem
A memory aid for classifying respiratory failure and its causes.