What term describes the use of additional muscles to assist breathing during respiratory distress?

The term that describes the engagement of additional muscles to assist with breathing during respiratory distress is "accessory muscle use." In situations where breathing becomes labored or insufficient due to various conditions such as asthma, COPD, or other respiratory issues, the body recruits muscles apart from the diaphragm and intercostal muscles to enhance ventilation. These accessory muscles typically include the sternocleidomastoid, scalene muscles, and muscles of the abdomen and back.

When individuals experience respiratory distress, it may indicate that their normal breathing capacity is compromised, necessitating the activation of these additional muscles to increase the efficiency of gas exchange and alleviate the effort of breathing. Identifying accessory muscle use is crucial during a clinical assessment as it serves as an indicator of the severity of respiratory distress and helps guide further management.

Diaphragmatic breathing focuses on engaging the diaphragm itself for deeper breaths and is generally encouraged in situations requiring improved ventilation but is not the term that describes the recruitment of additional muscles during distress. Chest expansion relates to the physical act of the thorax enlarging during inhalation, and auscultation refers to the technique of listening to the internal sounds of the body, particularly the heart and lungs, using a stethoscope.