Normal respiratory movements. Norms of human breathing frequency. The respiratory system of babies and its features

What is the normal breathing rate for a person?

As a rule, vegetative-vascular dystonia is accompanied by various functional disorders vegetative nervous system, which in turn leads to various violations familiar vital functions body. This is primarily noticeable by changes in heart rate and pressure fluctuations. But another important function of the body – breathing – is often disrupted.

Breathing disorders occur most often during panic attacks. The breathing rate increases, hyperventilation of the lungs occurs (an increase in the level of oxygen in the blood and a decrease in the level of carbon dioxide), which, in turn, manifests itself in dizziness and other bad things that are so familiar to those who have experienced PA at least once in their lives.

So the breathing rate

It is convenient to count your breathing rate by placing your hand on your chest. Count for 30 seconds and multiply by two. Normal in calm state The breathing rate of an untrained person is 12-16 inhalations and exhalations per minute. You should strive to breathe at a frequency of 9-12 breaths per minute.
Vital capacity of the lungs (VC) is the amount of air that can be exhaled after the most deep breath. The value of vital capacity characterizes the strength respiratory muscles, elasticity lung tissue and is important criterion respiratory system performance. As a rule, vital capacity is determined using a spirometer in an outpatient setting.

Breathing disorders. Hyperventilation

Respiration carries out gas exchange between external environment and alveolar air, the composition of which is normal conditions varies within a narrow range. During hyperventilation, the oxygen content increases slightly (by 40-50% of the original), but with further hyperventilation (about a minute or more), the CO2 content in the alveoli decreases significantly, as a result of which the level of carbon dioxide in the blood drops below normal (this condition is called hypocapnia). Hypocapnia in the lungs during deep breathing shifts the pH to the alkaline side, which changes the activity of enzymes and vitamins. This change in the activity of metabolic regulators disrupts normal course metabolic processes and leads to cell death. To maintain the constancy of CO2 in the lungs, the following defense mechanisms arose during evolution:
spasms of the bronchi and blood vessels;
increased production of cholesterol in the liver as a biological insulator that seals cell membranes in the lungs and blood vessels;
decreased blood pressure (hypotension), which reduces the removal of CO2 from the body.

But spasms of the bronchi and blood vessels reduce the flow of oxygen to the cells of the brain, heart, kidneys and other organs. A decrease in CO2 in the blood increases the connection between oxygen and hemoglobin and makes it difficult for oxygen to enter cells (Verigo-Bohr effect). A decrease in oxygen flow into tissues causes oxygen starvation tissues – hypoxia. Hypoxia, in turn, leads first to loss of consciousness and then to death of brain tissue.
The ending of the quote is somewhat gloomy, but it’s a fact and there’s no getting around it. When panic attack before fatal outcome it won’t work out, the body won’t allow itself to be killed, but you can lose consciousness. This is why it is important to learn how to control your breathing during a panic attack. Breathing into a paper bag helps a lot with hyperventilation: the CO2 level does not drop so quickly, you feel less dizzy, and this makes it possible to calm down and regulate your breathing.

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Respiratory frequency

Human breathing rate

In adults

tachypnea

bronchiolitis

bradypnea) may be caused by:

impact on respiratory center toxic metabolic products accumulated in significant quantities in the blood (uremia, hepatic or diabetic coma, some are spicy infectious diseases and poisoning).

In children

Respiration rate in animals

Notes

Propaedeutics of internal diseases / V. Kh. Vasilenko. - 3rd ed., revised. and additional - M.: Medicine, 1989. - P. 92-93. - 512 s. - ( Educational literature for students medical institutes). - 100,000 copies. - ISBN 5-225-01540-9.
Mazurin A.V., Vorontsov I.M. Propaedeutics of childhood diseases. - 1st ed. - M.: Medicine, 1986. - P. 118-119. - 432 s. - (Educational literature for students of medical institutes). - 100,000 copies.
Berkowitz's Pediatrics: A Primary Care Approach, 5th Edition Copyright. - American Academy of Pediatrics, 2014. - P. 353.

Frequency breathing movements - the number of respiratory movements (inhalation-exhalation cycles) per unit of time (usually a minute). It is one of the main and oldest biomarkers.

The number of respiratory movements is calculated by the number of movements chest and front abdominal wall. Usually, during an objective study, the pulse is first determined and counted, and then the number of respiratory movements in one minute, the type of breathing (thoracic, abdominal or mixed), depth and its rhythm are determined.

Human breathing rate

In adults

A healthy adult in a state of physiological rest makes an average of 16 to 20 respiratory movements per minute, a newborn - 40-45 respiratory movements, the frequency of which gradually decreases with age. During sleep, breathing slows down to 12-14 per minute, and when physical activity, emotional excitement or after plenty of intake food - naturally increases in frequency.

Pathological increased breathing ( tachypnea) develops as a result of the presence of certain pathological conditions:

narrowing of the lumen of the small bronchi due to their spasm or diffuse inflammation of their mucous membrane ( bronchiolitis), which prevent the normal flow of air into the alveoli;
reduction of the respiratory surface of the lungs (pneumonia - lobar or viral pneumonia, pulmonary tuberculosis, collapsed lung (atelectasis); as a result of compression of the lung - exudative pleurisy, hydrothorax, pneumothorax, mediastinal tumor; with obstruction or compression of the main bronchus by a tumor; in case of pulmonary infarction as a result of blockage of a branch of the pulmonary trunk by a thrombus or embolus; with severe emphysema of the lungs and their overflow with blood with edema against the background of pathology of cardio-vascular system);
insufficient depth of breathing (shallow breathing) with sharp pain in the chest (dry pleurisy, diaphragmatitis, acute myositis, intercostal neuralgia, fracture of the ribs, or the development of metastases in them malignant tumor); at sharp increase intra-abdominal pressure And high level standing of the diaphragm (ascites, flatulence, late dates pregnancy) and hysteria.

Pathological decrease in breathing ( bradypnea) may be caused by:

increase intracranial pressure(brain tumor, meningitis, cerebral hemorrhage, cerebral edema);
the impact on the respiratory center of toxic metabolic products accumulated in significant quantities in the blood (uremia, hepatic or diabetic coma, some acute infectious diseases and poisoning).

In children

U healthy child the synchronous participation of both halves of the chest in the act of breathing is visually noted. To determine the degree of mobility (excursion) of the chest, use a centimeter tape to measure the circumference of the chest at the level of the nipples in front, and at the back at the angles of the shoulder blades. During examination, pay attention to the type of breathing. The number of respiratory movements is counted for a minute when the child is calm or sleeping. In newborns and children early age You can use a soft stethoscope, the bell of which is held near the nose of the child being examined. This method allows you to count the number of breathing movements without undressing the child. Sometimes using this method it is possible to listen to wheezing characteristic of bronchitis, bronchiolitis or pneumonia.

Newborns may experience periodic breathing- alternating regular breathing with irregular breathing. This is considered normal for this age.

What are heart rate and respiratory rate?

Heart rate is a count of the number of times the heart beats per minute. Respiratory rate is the number of inhalations and exhalations per minute. These indicators make it possible to determine how deep and rhythmic breathing is, as well as the ability to analyze the performance of the chest. Characteristics of the heartbeat in different periods heights are different.

Respiratory rate is measured by the number of breaths a person takes in one minute. Since many factors can affect the result, it is important to measure according to all rules. The person must remain at rest for at least 10 minutes. It is advisable that the patient does not know that someone is counting the number of breaths, because the nature of the person is that he is unnatural if he knows that he is being watched. Because of this, measurement results may not be accurate. In hospitals, quite often, nurses, under the guise of measuring the pulse, count the number of breaths, observing how the chest and.

An increased breathing rate is a symptom of the following conditions: fever, dehydration, acidosis, lung disease, asthma, pre-infarction state, drug overdose (such as aspirin or amphetamine), panic attack

Respiratory rate norms

Children commit large quantity breaths than adults, just as women breathe faster than men. However, there are average respiratory rates that are characteristic of different age groups. Newborns aged 1 to 12 months take 30-60 breaths per minute, children 1-2 years old - 24-40 breaths, children preschool age(3-5 years old) - 22-34 breaths, schoolchildren (6-12 years old) - 18-30 breaths. For 13 to 17 years old, the normal respiratory rate is considered to be 12-16 breaths per minute, and 12-18 breaths per minute.

What does breathing rate show?

The number of breaths taken over a one-minute period of time indicates how often the brain sends signals to the lungs to take a breath. If the oxygen level in the blood drops or the level carbon dioxide, then the brain reacts to this. For example, with a severe infection, the carbon dioxide content in the blood increases, while oxygen remains at normal level. The brain reacts to the situation and sends a signal to the lungs. Seriously ill people breathe frequently.

Slow breathing is a symptom of the following conditions: narcotic or alcohol intoxication, metabolic disorder, apnea, stroke or brain injury

There are situations when the system of such communication does not work well. For example, when a person is on a narcotic drug or if the part of the brain responsible for respiratory function is damaged. Both increased and slowed breathing rhythms indicate that something is wrong with your health. If we are not talking about breathing problems due to physical activity (bending over, fast walking, lifting weights), then you should definitely report these symptoms to your doctor.

Not only pulse, temperature and arterial pressure. The frequency of respiratory movements is also considered a very informative indicator. We will talk about how to learn how to measure it, and what frequency is considered normal, in this article.

What it is?

A biomarker such as respiratory rate has been known since ancient times. The doctors of the ancient world noticed that this indicator changes in a sick person. Today, respiratory rate (respiratory rate) does not lose its relevance in the diagnosis of a wide variety of childhood and adult diseases. One series of “inhalation-exhalation” is considered to be one movement. The number of such movements over a specific period of time is assessed - usually 1 minute.

It should be noted that NPV in children is not at all similar to that in adults. Children in force anatomical features They breathe somewhat differently - their breathing is shallow, superficial, the frequency of inhalations and exhalations is much higher. Oxygen requirements of a growing child child's body extremely large, and the lung capacity and chest size are small. This is why the baby needs intense breathing.

However, there are certain standards for of different ages. And if the breathing rate exceeds these norms, it may indicate that the child has oxygen starvation (hypoxia). Rapid breathing accompanies the most various pathologies in children.

Why measure?

The frequency of respiratory movements, coupled with determining the heart rate and type of breathing, is the most important diagnostic value when examining a newborn and infant. Such children cannot tell their parents what exactly is bothering them, and only by the NPV indicators can one understand that something is wrong with the baby. Most diseases that are accompanied by rapid breathing in children can be successfully treated at timely application and providing proper medical care. The pediatrician, of course, will pay attention to the child’s respiratory rate at each scheduled visit to the clinic.

The rest of the time on guard children's health Parents are the ones who need to be able to distinguish normal breathing from abnormal breathing.

This is not difficult to do; the frequency of respiratory movements is a parameter that any mother, father or grandmother of the baby can independently determine. The main thing is to do everything correctly and correctly evaluate the results obtained.

How to measure?

If parents feel that the child is breathing too quickly, the breathing rate should be measured. It is best to do this when the child is calm, for example, in a dream. When the baby is awake, playing, experiencing something, experiencing emotions, breathing becomes more frequent, and this is quite natural.

The mother should place her hand on the baby's chest or belly. The choice of measurement location is very important because it determines the baby's breathing pattern. In infants and children under 4-5 years of age, it predominates diaphragmatic breathing(the child breathes with his stomach, the peritoneum methodically rises as he inhales, and descends as he exits).

At 4 years old, a child begins to master a new way of breathing - chest breathing (when the chest rises and falls when inhaling and exhaling). By the age of 10, a child develops the type that is more characteristic of him based on gender. Boys usually have abdominal breathing, while girls have diaphragmatic breathing. Thus, determining where to place your hand is very simple - You have to take into account the age of the child.

The counting algorithm is quite simple. The “inhale-exhale” episodes are counted for 1 minute. One series of such movements is counted as one breathing movement. It is a big mistake to measure your breathing for 30 seconds and then multiply the resulting number by two. Breathing is not as rhythmic as, for example, the pulse, and therefore such a simplified method for measuring respiratory rate is not suitable. Parents will spend another minute measuring the heart rate (pulse) and it will be possible to assess the child’s condition based on age standards.

An electronic watch, a stopwatch or a clock with an arrow will be useful for measurements.

Norms

There are a lot of tables on the Internet that suggest comparing the data obtained from measuring the child’s breathing rate with the norms. It is difficult to assess the veracity of each. Pediatricians try to adhere to the data published in Berkowitz's Pediatrics: A Primary Care Approach. They are officially recognized:

Newborns. Respiration rate - 30-60 times per minute. Pulse – from 100 to 160.
Children at 6 months. Respiration rate - 25-40 times per minute. Pulse - from 90 to 120.
Children at 1 year old. Respiration rate 20-40 times per minute. Pulse - from 90 to 120.
Children at 3 years old. Respiration rate 20-30 times per minute. Pulse - from 80 to 120.
Children aged 6 years. Respiration rate 12-25 times per minute. Pulse - from 70 to 110.
Children at 10 years old. Respiration rate - 12-20 times per minute. Pulse - from 60 to 90.

Attentive parents will be able to notice any deviation from the individual child's norm. It's about about the frequency at which a child usually breathes, because one baby has 40 inhalations and exhalations in 60 seconds, while another baby at the same age has only 25. It is clear that in the second case, an increase in frequency to 40-45 will be considered a violation , and in the first, for a baby with rapid breathing from birth, the same indicators will be the norm. Parents should not ignore their own observations. After all, moms and dads know best individual characteristics your baby than anyone, even very good doctor who sees the child for the first time.

Reasons for rejection

Exceeding the frequency of respiratory movements in medicine is called "tachypnea". This is not a disease, but just a symptom that may indicate the development of a certain pathology. We can talk about tachypnea if if the NPV differs from the norm upward by at least 20%. Frequent baby breath there are quite understandable physiological and psychological reasons. When children are worried, worried, in a state of stress, fear, or in a nervous situation, they very often react to stress by increasing their breathing movements.

Such tachypnea does not require correction or treatment and usually goes away on its own as the delicate children’s nervous system strengthens. If the stress is very strong, then parents can consult a neurologist and child psychologist.

With shortness of breath, shallow, shallow breathing in a child is observed only during periods of increased physical activity, at moments when the child is tired and trying to catch his breath. Shortness of breath is temporary and transient. Tachypnea is permanent. If the excess normal frequency breathing does not disappear in the child even in his sleep, this is, of course, a reason to call a doctor and examine the baby for a possible disease.

What to do?

If you detect an increase in respiratory rate in newborns, it is best to call a doctor. If the baby has other symptoms - runny nose, cough, fever, breathing or exiting has become difficult, optimal solution- call " Ambulance" For an older child, you can try to help yourself. Required condition- absence of any additional painful signs.

To stop an attack of tachypnea, just take a paper bag, cut a small hole in it and offer it to the child. game form breathe through the bag. This will help restore gas exchange in the cells, and breathing will stabilize.

Inhalation and exhalation should be done only through the bag; outside air should not be inhaled.

Sudden increase in breathing without visible reasons(excitement, stress, fear) - always alarming symptom, which parents should not ignore. It is important to quickly pull yourself together, calm the baby, breathe through the bag, make sure that skin the child has a normal color, has not changed, has not turned pale and has not appeared cyanotic. Treatment always involves treatment of the underlying disease that caused rapid breathing.

What can't you do?

Parents should not try to give medications to a child with rapid breathing. No tablets or drops at this moment can affect separate symptom probable hidden disease. But it is quite possible to worsen the baby’s condition with these drugs without permission. You should not try to give inhalation to a child with breathing problems. They are not able to help, but there is a burn respiratory tract, which a baby can get from inhaling steam, is a very real threat.

It is important for parents to learn to distinguish tachypnea from ordinary shortness of breath.

To learn what the child’s breathing rate is considered correct, see the following video.

Define functional state respiratory and cardiovascular systems will allow counting the number of breathing movements at the patient. Indications for calculating the frequency of respiratory movements are mainly diseases of the respiratory system and cardiovascular system. Before we consider the sequence of actions of this manipulation, let us remember what breathing is in general.

Breathing is a basic life process that ensures a continuous supply of oxygen to the body and the release of carbon dioxide and water vapor from the body. The following types of breathing in humans are distinguished depending on the involvement of parts of the chest in the process.

Chest type of breathing

With the chest type of breathing in a person, the chest expands mainly in the anteroposterior and lateral directions. This type of breathing is more common in women. In this case, the lower parts of the lungs may not be ventilated sufficiently.

Abdominal breathing

At abdominal type human breathing expands chest cavity occurs mainly due to the diaphragm in the vertical direction. This type of breathing is more typical for men. In this case, the apexes of the lungs may become insufficiently ventilated.

Mixed breathing type

At mixed type breathing occurs uniform expansion of the chest cavity in all directions, which ensures sufficient ventilation of all parts of the lungs.

Fine respiratory rate (RR) in an adult it is 16-20 per minute. In newborns normal respiratory rate- 40-60 per minute, in children 1-2 years old - 30-40.

Counting the number of breathing movements

You will need a stopwatch to count. The patient should not be informed about the counting of his respiratory movements, since in this case the patient will begin to control his breathing, which will distort the true picture of the study.

Sequence of actions of the nurse

With the patient lying down, we take his hand as if to count the pulse and, together with our hand, place it on the front surface of the patient’s chest.
Using excursions of the chest or abdominal wall, we count the number of respiratory movements in 1 minute, while counting either inhalations or exhalations.
We register the result in temperature sheet patient, graphically recording the results and displaying the breathing curve. The curve is obtained by connecting the points, with the date or time marked horizontally and the NPV vertically.

Counting the number of breathing movements plays a significant role in assessing the patient’s condition (improvement or deterioration, or lack of dynamics).

Normal respiratory movements. Norms of human breathing frequency. The respiratory system of babies and its features

So the breathing rate

Breathing disorders. Hyperventilation

Human breathing rate

In adults

In children

Respiration rate in animals

see also

Notes

Human breathing rate

In adults

In children

see also

So the breathing rate

Breathing disorders. Hyperventilation

What are heart rate and respiratory rate?

Respiratory rate norms

What does breathing rate show?

What it is?

Why measure?

How to measure?

Norms

Reasons for rejection

What to do?

What can't you do?

Chest type of breathing

Abdominal breathing

Mixed breathing type

Counting the number of breathing movements

Sequence of actions of the nurse