4 - Respiratory Flashcards
Respiration maintains adequate _____ ______ to tissues
oxygen supply
What does respiration do?
- Removes carbon dioxide and metabolic wastes
- Maintains homeostasis or arterial blood
List & Describe the 2 processes of respiration
1) Ventilation - inspiration and expiration (gas moves in and out of lungs)
2) Diffusion - oxygen and carbon dioxide moves from areas high to low concentration (ex. alveoli - capillary - cells)
List 3 respiratory disorders
- asthma
- COPD
- allergies
- lung cancer
What are the 3 parts of the thoracic cavity?
1) Mediastinum
2) Right pleural cavity
3) Left pleural cavity
What does the mediastinum contain?
- heart
- arch of aorta
- superior vena cava
- lower esophagus
- lower part of trachea
What does the right and left pleural cavity contain?
lungs
Right lung has __ lobes
3
Left lung has ___ lobes
2
What is the parietal pleura?
protects the chest wall and diaphragm
What is the visceral pleura?
protects the lungs
What protects most of the respiratory system
Thoracic cage
What does the thoracic cage consist of?
- 12 thoracic vertebrae
- 12 pairs of ribs
- Sternum
Anterior Chest:
_____ (highest point of lung) is 2-4 cm above the inner 1/3 of clavicle
Apex
Anterior Chest:
_____ (lower border of lung) rests on diaphragm at ~ 6th rib in midclavicular line
Base
Lateral Chest:
Where is the apex?
Apex at axilla
Lateral Chest:
Where is the base?
Base extends to 7th or 8th rib
Posterior Chest:
Where is the apex?
Apex located at C7
Posterior Chest:
Where is the base?
Base located at T10 (inspiration expands lungs, with base dropping to T12)
What are some general respiratory assessment questions?
- Chronic illnesses (ex. asthma, COPD, lung cancer)
- Acute illnesses (pneumonia, chest injury)
- Allergies
- Medications (corticosteroids, inhalers)
- Smoking history (current, past, frequency)
- Home oxygen
- Environment (air pollution, allergens, pets, air filter system, occupational, recent travel)
What kind of questions do you ask if someone comes in with cough, SOB or chest pain with breathing?
OLD CART
Onset Location Duration Characteristics Aggravates/Alleviates Radiate Treatment
What do you inspect when observing respirations?
- Rate, Rhythm, Depth, Effort in Breathing
- Audible breathing
- Cyanosis
- Nasal flaring
- Chest expansion
Bradypnea
slow breathing
Tachypnea
rapid breathing
Hyperpnea
rapid deep breathing
Apnea
no breathing
Kussmaul
deep breathing
Biot
unpredictable irregular breathing
Cheyne-Stokes
deep breathing alternating with apnea
What do you inspect when observing anterior and posterior chest?
- Skin, color, and condition
- Size, shape and symmetry of the chest wall
- lateral/anteroposterior diameter
- vertebral column alignment
- Position the patient takes to breath (ex. sit leaning forward)
- Abnormal retraction
What do you do when palpating the anterior and posterior chest?
- Assess any observed abnormalities during inspection
- Identify areas of tenderness
- Assess respiratory excursion (lung expansion)
- Assess tactile fremitus (transmission of vibrations from larynx to chest surface)