5.6 - Respiratory failure Flashcards
What is the predominant feature of respiratory failure?
Shortness of breath
What is the definition of respiratory failure?
Syndrome of inadequate gas exchange due to dysfunction of one or more components of the respiratory system
What are the components of the respiratory system?
- nervous system - CNS/brainstem, peripheral nervous system, neuromuscular junction
- respiratory muscle - diaphragm & thoracic muscles, extra-thoracic muscles
- pulmonary - airway disease, alveolar-capillary, circulation
Which areas of the world is respiratory failure more prevalent in?
- North America, Europe
- SE and S Asia is less common
What are some epidemiological statistics for chronic respiratory disease?
- 3rd leading cause of death
- 39.8% rise from 1990
- EU 380m euros annually
- accounts for inpatient care, lost productivity
What is the biggest risk factor for men and women for chronic respiratory disease?
- men - smoking
- women - household air pollution from solid fuels
What are the risk factors for chronic respiratory failure? (6)
- COPD
- pollution
- recurrent pneumonia
- cystic fibrosis
- pulmonary fibrosis
- neuromuscular diseases
What are the risk factors for acute respiratory failure? (5)
- infection - viral / bacterial
- aspiration (drop in consciousness = aspiration of gastric contents into lungs which causes response from lungs)
- trauma
- pancreatitis
- transfusion
How can we classify respiratory failure?
- acute
- chronic
- acute on chronic
What diseases come under acute respiratory failure?
- pulmonary - infection, aspiration, primary graft dysfunction following lung transplant
- extra-pulmonary - trauma, pancreatitis, sepsis
- neuromuscular - myasthenia / GBS
What diseases come under chronic respiratory failure?
- pulmonary/airways - COPD, lung fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, lobectomy
- musculoskeletal - muscular dystophy
What diseases come under acute on chronic respiratory failure?
- infective exacerbation - COPD, CF
- myasthenic crises
- post-operative
How does acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) present?
- heterogenous disease presentation
- can present as CF, pulmonary hypertension, pneumonia, COPD exacerbation
What is the prevalence and mortality of acute respiratory distress syndrome?
- prevalence 6-7 per 100k in the UK
- 30-40% mortality (severity and increased age increase mortality)
What are the diagnostic criteria for ARDS, and how can we classify acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)?
- Berlin definition
- timing - within 1 week of a known clinical insult or new or worsening respiratory symptoms
- chest imaging - bilateral opacities (not fully explained by effusions, lobar/lung collapse, or nodules)
- origin of oedema - respiratory failure not fully explained by cardiac failure or fluid overload, need objective assessment (e.g. echocardiography) to exclude hydrostatic oedema if no risk factor present
- oxygenation - ARDS classified as mild, moderate or severe
- mild: 200mmHg<PaO2/FIO2<300mmHg, with PEEP or CPAP>5cmH2O
- moderate: 100mmHg<PaO2/FIO2<200mmHg, with PEEP or CPAP>5cmH2O
- severe: PaO2/FIO2 <100mmHg with PEEP >5cmH2O
How does ventilation change as you go from the top of the lung to the bottom?
- pleural pressure goes from more negative (-8cmH2O) to less negative (-2 cmH2O)
- transmural pressure gradient decreases
- alveoli become smaller and more compliant
- ventilation increases
How does perfusion change as you go from the top of the lung to the bottom?
- intravascular pressure increase (gravity effect)
- more recruitment of blood vessels
- resistance to flow decreases
- flow rate and perfusion increases
How is oxygen loaded at lungs?
- RBCs on venous end are 75% saturated and have a venous oxygen of 5.3kPa
- concentration gradient between alveoli and vessel = O2 enters blood
- at arterial end, RBCs 100% saturated and venous oxygen is 13.5kPa
What is pulmonary transit time?
- the time that the RBCs are within range for gas exchange for oxygen is 0.75s
- hence around 12-15 breaths per minute
- could theoretically happen in 0.25s hence when ill, breathing rate increases
- CO2 is more soluble than O2 so moves into alveoli quicker
How does alveolar pressure (PA), arterial pressure (Pa) and venous pressure (Pv) change as you go down the lung?
- zone 1: PA > Pa > Pv
- zone 2: Pa > PA > Pv
- zone 3: Pa > Pv > PA
Describe the graph of perfusion and ventilation from base to apex.
- base - more blood going past exchange surface than can participate in gas exchange - wasted perfusion (V/Q<1)
- apex - little blood and air - wasted ventilation as moving gases into parts of lung that are not getting blood supply (V/Q>1)
- optimum - where lines cross (in between zone 2 and 3) - correct amount of perfusion for correct amount of ventilation (V/Q=1)
- lung diseases distort this relationship
What is compliance?
- the tendency to distort under pressure
- delta V / delta P
- condom has higher compliance than balloon
- volume expansion of lung at pressure you apply
What is elastance?
- the tendency to recoil to its original volume
- delta P / delta V
- balloon has higher elastance than condom
Why does max inspiratory and expiratory effort plateau?
Takes a lot of effort from muscles of airways to hold in/squeeze out the last bit of air
What is tidal volume?
Volume of air going in and out with each breath
What is inspiratory reserve volume?
Extra volume of air that you can get into lung on top of tidal volume
What is expiratory reserve volume?
The volume of air that you can empty past your tidal volume
What is residual volume?
Volume of air left in lungs - cannot fully empty air as lungs hold their structure to prevent collapse via surfactants etc
What is vital capacity?
Difference between max and min air in lungs (IRV + TV + ERV)
What is functional residual capacity?
- everything below default position of lung capacity (bottom of tidal volume) - if you take in a deep breath then die, lungs will not empty fully as that takes muscle effort, but to baseline level due to elastic recoil
- ERV + residual volume
What is inspiratory capacity?
- everything above baseline value (bottom of tidal volume)
- IRV + tidal volume