To ask if opening a window makes a difference to someone struggling to breath

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Person was blue struggling to breath and someone said to open the window. I don’t really understand that.

It's not really going to increase the amount of oxygen in the room! But I think feeling a breeze might just make you feel like you can breathe more easily. People with COPD are recommended to use a little fan to help them get their breath. If the person was going blue though they night have been a bit beyond that ...

It might make a room feel less stuffy so have a mental effect.

It depends on what's causing the breathlessness, anything solvent based makes me cough and wheeze so opening a window would help although going outside is better.

Fresh air. Presumably someone called an ambulance as well?

Fresh cool air with added airflow helps

If there’s a temperature difference it could make things worse.

If there’s an airborne irritant it could help.

I havd asthma and stale air seems to make it worse.
might be psychological though.

Probably wouldn't make much of a physical difference but mentally may calm the person feeling the cool air/breeze.

Unless the person is on fire, its unlikely to cause any harm.

Bloody hell- my mum has COPD but if she had turned blue then it's way beyond window opening stage- I hope the person concerned got the help they needed.
It helps my my mum to have windows open on a pleasant day with clear skies to let fresh air in -but if it's cloudy and humid or very warm then no- will make it worse letting warmer air in. A fan can help and she has a lot of drugs and inhalers.

I guess it would help if it improved the mobile signal for calling the ambulance.

I suppose it depends on what is causing the breathlessness, I have asthma and if I'm wheezing, hot, stuffy air makes me a lot worse, but other people with asthma might have the opposite. If there is gas or smoke then fresh air is definitely going to help.
Unless it's severely cold outside, fresh air isn't going to cause any harm and might make the patient, and the people dealing with the emergency, feel a bit calmer and better.

Well it's not going to hurt is it?

Worth a try

If it was an emergency call handler then it may have been a fresh air/covid thing in prep for emergency services attending.

I visit people in their own homes for work and if they have covid and the visit is essential we ask them to open the windows prior to our arrival to try and reduce the risk of us catching it.

If I were turning blue, I’d hope for more medical intervention, but when my DC had croup, taking them into the cold night air certainly helped relieve their breathing while we waited for the steroids to kick in.

If you're struggling to breath you're going to be hot and panicky. Good air circulation will help that.

Is the person ok?

If you have co2 monitors it's actually quite shocking how the CO2 rises with the windows/doors all shut and drops rapidly with the windows open. It really does refresh the air.

Fresh air won't help with breathing but it is a pretty common reaction

It helps me. Sometimes when you struggle to get your breath your body temperature seems to rise. Its very hard to concentrate on breathing when you are sweating profusely so a cool fresh breeze helps enormously.

Did it help in your situation?