2: Clinical symptoms Flashcards
Is “pneumonia” a presenting complaint?
No, it’s a diagnosis
“Productive / non-productive cough”
“Fever”
“Pleuritic chest pain” “Malaise” …
Can chest pain come directly from the lungs?
No - they are asensate - no pain fibres
What are some traits of pleuritic chest pain?
Sharp
Worse on INSPIRATION
Easily locatable
“It’s tight”
“It hurts when I breathe”
“I feel like I’m on fire”
“Don’t touch me”
Match these characters of chest pain to the musculoskeletal, respiratory, GI and cardiovascular systems.
Tight → Cardio
Inspiration → Respiratory
Firey → GI
Don’t touch → MSK
Breathlessness, as a symptom, is very ___.
subjective
Important in understanding the severity of breathlessness is understanding what a patient finds ___.
normal
What can be asked to get an estimate of how breathless a patient is?
How far can you walk on a flat surface before getting breathless?
