Emergency response guide: respiratory emergency at Livasa Hospitals

Respiratory emergencies can be frightening for patients and families. This guide explains what a respiratory emergency is, how to recognise signs of respiratory failure or airway obstruction, immediate first-aid steps, and how Livasa Hospitals in Punjab responds — including 24/7 emergency pulmonology, ventilator support and advanced airway procedures. If you are in Punjab and facing a breathing problem emergency, call +91 80788 80788 immediately or book an appointment for follow-up care. Livasa serves patients across Livasa Mohali, Livasa Amritsar, Livasa Hoshiarpur and Livasa Khanna.

What is a respiratory emergency?

A respiratory emergency is any acute medical situation where breathing is dangerously reduced or stopped, oxygenation of the blood is inadequate, or the airway is blocked. These conditions can progress rapidly from mild shortness of breath to respiratory failure within minutes to hours. Common clinical scenarios include severe asthma attacks, acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), airway obstruction (foreign body or swelling), acute pulmonary infections (such as severe pneumonia), acute pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs), trauma to the chest, pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lungs), and neuromuscular weakness that impairs breathing.

Respiratory emergencies are time-critical because the brain and other vital organs tolerate low oxygen (hypoxia) only for a short time. Early recognition and immediate intervention—oxygen, airway clearance, bronchodilator therapy, or mechanical ventilation—save lives. At Livasa Hospitals in Punjab, emergency response teams are trained to secure the airway, provide oxygenation and ventilation, stabilise cardiovascular function, and rapidly diagnose underlying causes using blood tests, chest imaging and bedside monitoring. Understanding what constitutes a respiratory emergency empowers patients and caregivers to act quickly and seek urgent care in the right facility.

Globally, respiratory diseases are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognises chronic respiratory disease and acute lower respiratory infections as major contributors to global death and disability; asthma affected an estimated 262 million people in 2019. In Punjab and wider India the burden is magnified by air pollution, seasonal crop residue burning, tobacco use and occupational exposures — leading to seasonal spikes in respiratory emergency visits in regional hospitals, including Livasa Mohali and Livasa Amritsar.

Common causes and risk factors for respiratory emergencies

Respiratory emergencies arise from a wide range of causes. Understanding these helps families recognise risk and reduce future episodes. Causes commonly seen in emergency departments include:

• Asthma exacerbations: Severe bronchospasm triggered by allergens, infections, exercise, or non-adherence to medicines can lead to an acute asthma attack with life-threatening airflow limitation.
• COPD exacerbations: Patients with chronic bronchitis or emphysema may experience sudden worsening often due to infections, pollution, or heart disease.
• Infections: Pneumonia, acute bronchitis, or COVID-19 can cause rapid respiratory decline, high oxygen needs, and sepsis-related respiratory failure.
• Airway obstruction: Foreign body aspiration, anaphylaxis (severe allergic reaction), severe swelling (angioedema), or tumours can block the airway.
• Cardiogenic pulmonary edema: Heart failure can cause sudden fluid buildup in the lungs leading to breathlessness, low oxygen and the need for urgent care.
• Pulmonary embolism: A blood clot that travels to the lungs can cause sudden severe shortness of breath, chest pain and rapid deterioration.
• Neuromuscular or metabolic causes: Conditions such as Guillain–Barré syndrome, myasthenia gravis, or sedative overdose impair respiratory muscles and ventilation.
• Trauma: Chest injuries or burns that compromise the airway or lung expansion are surgical emergencies.

Risk factors that increase the likelihood of a respiratory emergency include smoking or tobacco exposure, occupational inhalational exposures, old age, chronic lung disease (asthma, COPD, bronchiectasis), cardiovascular disease, immunosuppression (HIV, cancer, steroids), poor adherence to inhaled medications, obesity, and high ambient air pollution — a particular concern in urban and agricultural areas of Punjab during seasonal burning. Recognising and addressing these risk factors reduces both the frequency and severity of emergencies.

Recognising signs and symptoms: red flags and early warnings

Rapid recognition of a respiratory emergency hinges on identifying red flag symptoms. These indicate immediate need for emergency care or ambulance transfer:

• Severe breathlessness at rest or sudden worsening of breathlessness
• Inability to speak more than a few words between breaths
• Blue lips or face (cyanosis) or confusion due to low oxygen
• Very fast or very slow breathing, or gasping breathing
• Chest pain with shortness of breath (may suggest pulmonary embolism or heart attack)
• High-pitched wheeze or noisy breathing suggesting airway obstruction
• Sudden collapse or fainting
• Persistent coughing with blood (hemoptysis)
• Marked drowsiness, decreased responsiveness or worsening mental status

For children, warning signs often include poor feeding, grunting, chest retractions (visible pulling in of chest muscles), flare of the nostrils, and decreased alertness. Elderly patients may present atypically with confusion, fatigue, or falls before clear respiratory cues appear. Patients with chronic lung disease may dismiss symptoms as ‘usual’—but any rapid change in symptoms, increased oxygen requirement, or inability to complete usual activities should be treated as an emergency. If you are in Punjab and see these red flags, seek urgent care—Livasa Hospitals across Mohali, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur and Khanna maintain emergency teams prepared for rapid airway management, oxygen therapy and intensive monitoring.

Immediate first aid and what to do at home

Immediate actions can stabilise a patient on the way to the hospital and reduce risk of deterioration. Below are practical first-aid steps for common respiratory emergencies, with targeted guidance for asthma attacks, choking, and anaphylaxis:

• If breathing is severely difficult: Sit the person upright (unless spinal injury suspected) to maximise lung expansion. Loosen tight clothing and reassure them — anxiety increases breathlessness. Call emergency services or go to the nearest Livasa Hospitals emergency department.
• If an asthma attack is suspected: Use a reliever inhaler (short-acting beta-agonist) immediately — 4–10 puffs through a spacer if available, one puff every 30–60 seconds while monitoring response. If no improvement within 10–15 minutes or if the person becomes very breathless, call emergency services.
• If choking/airway obstruction: Encourage coughing if the person is conscious and coughing effectively. If ineffective and the person cannot breathe, perform back blows and abdominal thrusts (Heimlich manoeuvre) if trained. For infants, use back blows and chest thrusts. Call emergency services immediately.
• If anaphylaxis (allergic reaction): Give intramuscular adrenaline (epinephrine) 0.3 mg adult or 0.15 mg child if an auto-injector is available. Lay the person down with legs elevated unless vomiting or breathing is very difficult. Call emergency services and proceed to hospital — adrenaline is life-saving.
• Oxygen and positioning: If oxygen is available, administer at prescribed rates; otherwise allow the patient to assume the position of comfort (usually sitting leaning forward) to ease breathing.

Below is a concise comparison of immediate first-aid priorities for three common emergencies to help caregivers decide what to do first.

Remember: do not delay calling for help. If you are located in Punjab and unsure where to go, Livasa Hospitals has emergency departments open 24/7 at Mohali, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur and Khanna for immediate respiratory care. Ring +91 80788 80788 or use our online booking portal for non-critical follow-up: Book an appointment.

Hospital response and triage at Livasa Hospitals in Punjab

When a respiratory emergency arrives at Livasa Hospitals (Livasa Mohali, Livasa Amritsar, Livasa Hoshiarpur, Livasa Khanna), an organised emergency response protocol is activated to prioritise airway and breathing, followed by rapid diagnosis and targeted therapy. The triage nurse immediately assesses airway patency, breathing rate and oxygen saturation. Patients with life-threatening airway compromise or hypoxia are moved to resuscitation bays and managed by a multidisciplinary team including emergency physicians, pulmonologists, anaesthetists and critical care specialists.

Livasa's emergency pulmonology services in Punjab include:

• 24/7 emergency department: Immediate assessment and stabilisation of airway, breathing and circulation.
• Rapid oxygen therapy: High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) and non-rebreather masks for severe hypoxia.
• Non-invasive ventilation (NIV): CPAP or BiPAP for COPD exacerbations or acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema when appropriate.
• Advanced airway procedures: Endotracheal intubation, emergency cricothyroidotomy when required, and fibreoptic bronchoscopy for foreign body removal or airway assessment.
• Mechanical ventilation and ICU care: Ventilator support for respiratory failure, invasive monitoring and multi-organ support in the intensive care unit.
• Interventional pulmonology: Bronchoscopic interventions, suctioning, stent placement and lavage when needed.
• Rapid diagnostics: Portable chest X-ray, point-of-care ultrasound, arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis and laboratory testing to identify cause and severity.

The focus is on rapid stabilisation, targeted treatment and preventing deterioration. Families in Punjab appreciate Livasa Hospitals for clear communication, rapid transfer to ICU when required, and access to respiratory specialists who coordinate ongoing care. If transfer is necessary from a remote area, the Emergency Department coordinates ambulance services and prehospital notification to ensure continuity of care. For urgent help, call +91 80788 80788.

Diagnostic evaluation and treatment options in the emergency

Once the patient is stabilised, clinicians rapidly investigate the cause of respiratory compromise to guide therapy. Common diagnostic steps include continuous pulse oximetry, arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis to measure oxygenation and ventilation, chest X-ray or CT scan to evaluate pneumonia, edema or embolism, ECG to assess cardiac causes, blood tests to identify infection or metabolic causes, bedside lung ultrasound and sputum or blood cultures when infection is suspected.

Treatment options depend on the diagnosis and severity:

• Supplemental oxygen: Delivered via nasal prongs, masks, or high-flow nasal cannula to maintain target SpO2 (usually 92–96% for most patients; lower targets in COPD).
• Bronchodilators and steroids: Nebulised bronchodilators (salbutamol, ipratropium) and systemic corticosteroids for asthma and COPD exacerbations.
• Antibiotics or antivirals: When bacterial or viral infection is identified or suspected.
• Non-invasive ventilation (NIV): For COPD exacerbation or cardiogenic pulmonary edema when the patient is conscious and airway is protected.
• Endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation: When airway protection or invasive ventilatory support is needed.
• Thrombolysis or embolectomy: For life-threatening pulmonary embolism depending on clinical scenario.
• Bronchoscopic interventions: For foreign body removal, airway clearance or diagnostic sampling.

The table below summarises benefits and typical recovery expectations for key respiratory support modalities used in emergency settings.

Livasa Hospitals in Punjab maintains emergency ventilator support, invasive monitoring and multi-disciplinary intensive care to manage complex respiratory failure. For conditions like severe ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome) or refractory hypoxemia, advanced therapies such as prone positioning, neuromuscular blockade and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) are coordinated with tertiary referral teams when indicated.

Special populations: pediatric, elderly and chronic lung disease patients

Respiratory emergencies present differently across age groups and chronic disease states. Livasa Hospitals provides tailored emergency and critical care protocols for each group.

Pediatric considerations:

• Common causes: Viral bronchiolitis, foreign body aspiration, severe asthma, pneumonia and congenital airway anomalies.
• Signs: Poor feeding, grunting, head bobbing, intercostal retractions, cyanosis, reduced urine output and lethargy are red flags in infants and toddlers.
• Management: Age-appropriate oxygen delivery, nebulised bronchodilators, careful fluid management and, when necessary, paediatric intubation and ventilatory support in a paediatric ICU setting.

Elderly and chronic lung disease patients:

• Atypical presentation: Older adults may present primarily with confusion, weakness or falls rather than overt breathlessness.
• Comorbidities: Heart disease, diabetes and frailty complicate management and increase risks during mechanical ventilation.
• COPD exacerbations: May respond well to NIV, bronchodilators and steroids; careful oxygen titration is essential to avoid CO2 retention in chronic CO2 retainers.

Pregnant women with respiratory emergencies require coordination between obstetricians, anaesthetists and pulmonologists to balance maternal oxygenation and fetal well-being. Immunocompromised patients may require broader infectious disease evaluation and early empiric antimicrobial therapy.

Livasa Hospitals' multidisciplinary teams are experienced in delivering paediatric critical care, geriatric emergency management and specialised approaches for chronic respiratory patients in Punjab. Early admission to the appropriate monitored setting reduces complications and improves outcomes.

Prevention, chronic care and reducing future emergencies

Preventing respiratory emergencies focuses on controlling chronic disease, reducing exposures and early intervention when symptoms worsen. Practical prevention strategies include:

• Asthma action plans: Personalised written plans that explain daily management, how to recognise worsening symptoms, and when to start rescue medications or seek emergency care.
• Medication adherence: Regular use of controller inhalers (steroids) and correct inhaler technique dramatically reduces severe attacks.
• Smoking cessation: Eliminating tobacco is the single most effective step to reduce COPD progression and lower risk of respiratory infections.
• Vaccination: Annual influenza vaccination and pneumococcal vaccines for eligible patients reduce severe infections that lead to hospitalisation.
• Air quality awareness: Use masks on high pollution days, avoid outdoor exercise during heavy smog, and adopt indoor air purification especially during crop burning seasons in Punjab.
• Early access to care: A teleconsultation, primary care visit or early outpatient treatment for respiratory infections prevents progression to emergency-level illness.

The following checklist can help patients living in Punjab stay prepared:

• Carry rescue inhaler and spacer (if prescribed) and know how to use it.
• Keep an updated asthma/COPD action plan with emergency contacts.
• Have a working pulse oximeter at home if chronic lung disease is present.
• Note nearest Livasa Hospitals location and emergency number: +91 80788 80788.
• Vaccinate as recommended and avoid known triggers.

These measures significantly reduce the frequency and severity of respiratory crises. Livasa Hospitals also runs patient education and pulmonary rehabilitation programs across Livasa Mohali, Livasa Amritsar, Livasa Hoshiarpur and Livasa Khanna to help patients manage chronic respiratory conditions and prevent emergency visits.

Where to go and how Livasa Hospitals in Punjab can help

If you or a loved one are experiencing a breathing problems emergency in Punjab, seek immediate care. Livasa Hospitals provides emergency respiratory care across multiple centres:

• Livasa Mohali: 24/7 emergency, advanced pulmonology, ICU and ventilator support.
• Livasa Amritsar: Emergency airway management, rapid diagnostics and interventional pulmonology facilities.
• Livasa Hoshiarpur: Emergency stabilisation, oxygen therapy and transfer pathways to higher-level care as needed.
• Livasa Khanna: Local emergency support and coordinated referral to tertiary centres for complex cases.

How to access help:

• Immediate emergency: Call +91 80788 80788 or present to the nearest Livasa Hospitals emergency department for life-threatening symptoms.
• Non-urgent respiratory concerns: Book an appointment online via Livasa appointment to see an emergency pulmonology doctor or respiratory specialist.
• Follow-up and rehabilitation: Pulmonary rehabilitation, smoking cessation and chronic disease management clinics are available to reduce future emergencies.

Livasa Hospitals aims to be the trusted destination for lung emergency treatment in Punjab. If you search for "lung emergency near me Punjab" or "where to go for respiratory emergency in Punjab", remember Livasa's emergency respiratory care network and call +91 80788 80788 for support.

Frequently asked questions and a quick respiratory emergency checklist

Below are common FAQs patients ask in the emergency department and a concise checklist for quick reference.

FAQs

Q: How fast do I need to act for an asthma attack?
A: If symptoms do not improve within 10–15 minutes of a reliever inhaler, or breathing is severely limited, seek emergency care immediately. Time is critical to prevent respiratory failure.

Q: When is it safe to give oxygen at home?
A: Oxygen should be given per medical advice. In emergencies, if oxygen is available and trained personnel recommend it, use it to maintain oxygen saturation targets. Over-oxygenation can harm some COPD patients, so follow specialist guidance.

Q: Will a nebuliser help in an emergency?
A: Nebulisers are effective for bronchodilator delivery during severe bronchospasm and are commonly used in emergency departments. Use under medical supervision to ensure correct dosing and monitoring.

Quick respiratory emergency checklist

• Assess airway, breathing and circulation immediately.
• Call emergency services or present to Livasa Hospitals emergency: +91 80788 80788.
• If asthma attack: give 4–10 puffs of reliever inhaler via spacer; re-assess quickly.
• If choking: encourage coughing; deliver back blows/abdominal thrusts if ineffective and trained.
• If anaphylaxis: give intramuscular adrenaline without delay.
• Keep patient upright if breathing is difficult (unless spinal injury suspected).
• Bring medication list, inhalers, spacer, recent medical records and contact details to the hospital.

If you are unsure, err on the side of urgent assessment. Livasa Hospitals' emergency teams in Punjab are ready to give fast, evidence-based care for respiratory crises.

Conclusion and next steps

Respiratory emergencies require rapid recognition, prompt first aid and immediate access to specialised hospital care. Whether the emergency is an asthma attack, COPD exacerbation, airway obstruction or acute infection, acting quickly improves outcomes. Livasa Hospitals offers 24/7 emergency respiratory care in Punjab with emergency pulmonology, ventilator support, advanced airway procedures and coordinated intensive care across Livasa Mohali, Livasa Amritsar, Livasa Hoshiarpur and Livasa Khanna.

Keep the emergency number handy: +91 80788 80788, and for non-emergencies use https://www.livasahospitals.com/appointment to schedule consultations with respiratory specialists. Prepare an action plan, ensure medication adherence, and seek early outpatient care for infections or worsening symptoms to reduce the risk of emergency admissions.

Disclaimer: This guide provides educational information to support recognition and early action for respiratory emergencies. It is not a substitute for clinical assessment. In life-threatening situations, call emergency services or go to the nearest emergency department immediately.