Work of Breathing assesses which elements?

• A. Color and perfusion
• B. Tone
• C. Shaping of skull during birth
• D. Effort and sounds of breathing

Answer: (D)

Work of breathing focuses on how hard the respiratory muscles must work to move air and what is heard or seen as the person breathes. It’s assessed by looking at effort and audible or visible signs during breathing, such as tachypnea, use of accessory muscles, chest wall retractions, nasal flaring, grunting, wheeze, or stridor. A high work of breathing signals respiratory distress, airway obstruction, or poor lung compliance and possible muscle fatigue. Color and perfusion relate to oxygen delivery to tissues, not the mechanical effort of breathing. Tone and the shape of the skull during birth are not measures used to assess work of breathing.