Dyspnea Treatment – Mnemonic

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Here is a quick mnemonic “DYSPNEA RELIEF“ to remember about Dyspnea Treatment

This can be valuable for patients as well as medical doctors, nurses & students doing their clinical rounds. You can also find it very useful for med exams like USMLE, NExT Medical Step 1&2, MBBS, NEET PG, INI-CET, FMGE,MCAT & NCLEX exams

Dyspnea Treatment : How To Remember Easily ?

  • D – Dyspnea: The first goal is to correct the underlying condition(s) driving dyspnea and address potentially reversible causes with appropriate treatment for the particular condition.
  • Y – Yes to treatment options: Multiple different interventions may be necessary, given that dyspnea often arises from multifactorial causes.
  • S – Symptom intensity reduction: If relief of dyspnea with treatment of the underlying condition(s) is not fully possible, an effort is made to lessen the intensity of the symptom and its effect on the patient’s quality of life.
  • P – Persistent dyspnea entity: More recent work at the consensus conference level has sought to define an identifiable entity of persistent dyspnea in order to develop an approach to improving efforts to address symptom management for this condition.
  • N – Non-responsive despite treatment: In 2017, an international group of experts defined “chronic breathlessness syndrome” as “the experience of breathlessness that persists despite optimal treatment of the underlying pathophysiology and results in disability for the patient.”
  • E – Enhanced oxygenation: Supplemental O2 should be administered if the resting O2 saturation is ≤88% or if the patient’s saturation drops to these levels with activity or sleep.
  • A – Allied treatments for COPD: For patients with COPD, supplemental oxygen for those with hypoxemia has been shown to improve mortality, and pulmonary rehabilitation programs have demonstrated positive effects on dyspnea, exercise capacity, and rates of hospitalization.
  • R – Relief with opioids: Opioids have been shown to reduce symptoms of dyspnea, largely through reducing air hunger, thus likely suppressing respiratory drive and influencing cortical activity. However, opioids should be considered for each patient individually based on the risk-benefit profile in regard to the effects of respiratory depression.
  • E – Experimental approaches: Studies of anxiolytics for dyspnea have not demonstrated consistent benefit. Additional approaches are under study for dyspnea, including inhaled furosemide that might alter afferent sensory information.
  • L – Limited progress in treatment: Despite an increased understanding of the mechanisms underlying dyspnea, there has been limited progress in treatment strategies for dyspnea.
  • I – Individualized treatment consideration: Opioids should be considered for each patient individually based on the risk-benefit profile in regard to the effects of respiratory depression.
  • E – Exploration of alternative interventions: Additional approaches are under study for dyspnea, including inhaled furosemide that might alter afferent sensory information.
  • F – Focused symptom management: An effort is made to lessen the intensity of the symptom and its effect on the patient’s quality of life.

Mnemonic : DYSPNEA RELIEF

Dr. Arin Nandi

Passionate About Medical Science & Helping Future Doctors Achieve Top Ranks In Medical Exams. He is professionally a dentist as well as a public health expert from JIPMER working in govt.health department
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