Palliative care - shortness of breath

Someone who is very ill may have trouble breathing or feel as if they are not getting enough air. This condition is called shortness of breath. The medical term for this is dyspnea.

Palliative care is a holistic approach to care that focuses on treating pain and symptoms and improving quality of life in people with serious illnesses and a possibly limited life span.

Shortness of breath may just be a problem when walking up stairs. Or, it may be so severe that the person has trouble talking or eating.

Shortness of breath has many possible causes, including:

With serious illnesses or at the end of life, it is common to feel short of breath. You may or may not experience it. Talk to your health care team so you know what to expect.

With shortness of breath, you might feel:

You might notice your skin has a bluish tinge on your fingers, toes, nose, ears, or face.

If you feel shortness of breath, even if it is mild, tell someone on your care team. Finding the cause will help the team decide the treatment. The nurse may check how much oxygen is in your blood by connecting your fingertip to a machine called a pulse oximeter. A chest x-ray or an electrocardiogram (ECG) may help your care team find a possible heart or lung problem.

To help with shortness of breath, try:

Find ways to relax.

To breathe easier, understand how to use:

Any time you are unable to control shortness of breath:

Discuss with your provider whether you need to go to the hospital when shortness of breath becomes severe.

Learn more about:

Arnold RM, Kutner JS. Palliative care. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 3.

Braithwaite SA, Wessel AL. Dyspnea. In: Walls RM, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 21.

Chin C, Moffat C, Booth S. Palliative care and symptom control. In: Feather A, Randall D, Waterhouse M, eds. Kumar and Clark's Clinical Medicine. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 7.

Kviatkovsky MJ, Ketterer BN, Goodlin SJ. Palliative care in the cardiac intensive care unit. In: Brown DL, ed. Cardiac Intensive Care. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019:chap 52.



Review Date: 2/3/2024
Reviewed By: Frank D. Brodkey, MD, FCCM, Associate Professor, Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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