Acute and critical care Flashcards
What are the risk factors for AKI?
- Age >65
- Diabetes
- Hypertension
- Dehydration
- Nephrotoxic medications
- CKD
- Chronic CVD/Heart failure
- Rhabdomyolysis
- Renal tract obstruction
- Myeloma
- Liver disease
What are the pre-renal causes of AKI?
- Hypovolaemia (dehydration, bleeding)
- Septic shock
- Cardiogenic shock
What are the renal causes of AKI?
- Acute tubular necrosis
- Glomerulonephritis
- Vasculitis
- Interstitial nephritis
- Tubular toxicity ie CT contrast
What are the post renal causes of AKI?
-Urinary tract obstruction
>Intraluminal ie stone
>Extraluminal ie cancer compression on ureter
What are the diagnostic criteria for AKI?
- Increase in serum creatinine >0.3mg/dl within 48 hours
- Or increase in serum creatinine 1.5x baseline
- Or urine volume <0.5ml/kg/hour for r6 hours
What are the creatinine levels of stage 1 AKI?
-Creatinine 1.5-1.9x baseline
What are the creatinine levels of stage 2 AKI?
-Creatinine 2.0-2.9x baseline
What are the creatinine levels of stage 3 AKI?
- Creatinine 3x baseline
- or Increase in serum creatinine to >4mg/dl
- or initiation of renal replacement therapy
- or decrease in eGFR <35ml/min per 1.73m^2 in <18 years
What are the management aims for AKI?
- Treat underlying cause
- Prevent further damage by optimising renal blood flow with fluid challenge
What forms the AKI management bundle?
- Restore prefusion
- Stop nephrotoxins
- Exclude obstruction
- Treat complications
How is perfusion restored in AKI?
- Fluid challenge
- Consider vasoconstrictors or inotropes
How do you exclude obstruction in AKI?
-Measure urine output
-Imaging
>CT - stones
>Renal USS - hydronephrosis
What are some nephrotoxic drugs?
-ACEi/ARBs >reduce perfusion to kidneys -NSAIDs -Aminoglycosides ie gentamycin -Contrast media -Furosemide and some other diuretics
How does septic shock cause a prerenal AKI?
-Sepsis causes leaky vessels and fluid moves into the interstitium from the vessels
What is the main medical cause of acute interstitial nephritis causing AKI?
-NSAIDs
What is a side effect of genatmycin? and which drugs interacts synergistically?
- Ototoxic
- Furosemide
What metabolic abnormalities occur from an AKI and why?
- Hyperkalaemia
- Metabolic acidosis
- The transporters work less effectively causing a build up of H+ and K+ and a loss of Na
How is hyperkalaemia treated?
- Insulin
- Glucose
- Calcium gluconate (to stabilise the cardiac membranes)
- ECG
- RRT
What are the complications of AKI?
- Uraemia
- Metabolic acidosis
- Fluid overload
What is the role of the liver?
- Synthesis of: -protein, clotting factors, bile, glucagon
- Detox: alcohol, drugs, ammonia, bilirubin
- Storage: energy, vitamins (ADEK), minerals
- Part of the immune system
What is acute liver failure?
- Rapid onset of hepatocellular dysfunction leading to a variety of systemic complications
- A complex multisystem illness which occurs after an insult to the liver
What are the features of acute liver failure?
- Jaundice
- Coagulopathy (^PTT)
- Hepatic encephalopathy
What is the difference between acute liver failure and acute liver injury?
- Acute liver injury = prolonged INR and jaundice.
- NO encephalopathy
What are classic signs of hepatic encephalopathy?
- Asterixis (liver flap)
- Unable to count back from 100 in 7s
How can acute liver failure be classified?
- Uses time from jaundice to encephalopathy
- Hyperacute: <7/7 (best prognosis)
- Acute: 8-28 days
- Subacute: 29days-12 weeks (worst prognosis)
What are the causes of acute liver failure?
- Paracetamol overdose
- Alcohol
- Viral hepatitis (A, B or E)
- Acute fatty liver of pregnancy
- Unknown cause (females, 20-40)
- Anabolic steroids
- Chinese and herbal drugs
- Allergic reaction to drugs
- Recreational drugs ie cocaine, legal highs
What are some rarer causes of ALF?
-Viruses: HSV, CMV, EBV parvovirus Ischaemic hepatitis -Autoimmune hepatitis -Wilson's disease -Budd chiari syndrome -Mushrooms -Hepatectomy
Where is heptitis E caught from?
-Undercooked pork or shellfish
What is the difference between a single time point paracetamol overdose and a staggered overdose?
- Single time point: >4g paracetamol taken at once
- Staggered: ingestion of 2+ supratherapeutic doses over 8 hours in a cumulative dose of >4g/day.
Which types of pts are increased risk of hepatotoxicity following paracetamol OD?
-Underweight
-Alcoholic
-Malnourished
>anorexia, CF, hep C, Cancer, HIV
-Staggered OD
-CLD
-Regular liver enzyme inducers
>rifampicin, phytoin, carbamazepine, St. John’s wort
How should paracetamol OD be investigated?
- Blood paracetamol levels
- ABG (metabolic acidosis)
- Prothrombin time
- ALT (high = paracetamol)
What are the complications of acute liver failure?
- Encephalopathy
- Renal failure
- Sepsis (bacterial and fungal infections)
- Malnourishment
Define shock
- Circulatory failure
- Tissue hypo-perfusion
- Energy defecit
- Accumulation of metabolites (lactate)
What are the causes of shock?
- Septic
- Hypovolaemic
- Anaphylactic
- Cardiogenic
- Neurogenic
What are the 3 basic components that can go wrong to cause shock?
- Fluid
- Pumps
- Pipes
What are the fluid causes of shock?
- Haemorrhage
- Dehydration
- Burns
- DKA
What are the pump causes of shock?
- Tension pneumothorax
- Pulmonary embolism
- Cardiac tamponade
- Ischaemia
- Arrhythmias
What are the pipe causes of shock?
- Neurogenic ie spinal cord lesion
- Endocrine ie Addisonian crisis
- Septic (leaky fluid)
- Anaphylactic (leaky fluid)
How is an episode of shock managed?
- Help
- ABCDE
- o2.
- Treat underlying cause
What medications treat hypovolaemia?
- Fluids
- Vasopressors
What medications manage septic shock?
- Fluids
- Antibiotics
- Adrenaline
What medications manage anaphylactic shock?
- IM adrenaline 1:1000
- Fluids
- Vasopressors
What medications manage cardiogenic shock?
- Inotropes (increases contractility)
- NOT vasopressors>increases resistance for heart to pump against
Where are the 5 areas blood can accumulate?
- Blood on the floor and 4 more
- Thorax
- Abdomen
- Pelvis
- Long bones
What are the immediate steps in managing AAA or aortic dissection?
- Help
- ABCDE
- Crossmatch blood
- Call surgeon
Which drugs should manage a small and big PE?
- Small: LMWH
- Big: alteplase
How should broad complex tachycardia be managed immediately?
-HELP
-ABCDE
-Repeat ECG
>wide and fast = bad
What are the main endocrine emergencies?
- Hyponatraemia
- Addisonian crisis
- Phaeochromacytoma
- Pituitary apoplexy
- Thyroid storm
- Myxoedema coma
- Hypercalcaemia
- DKA
What is the biochemical definition for hyponatraemia?
-Sodium <135mmol/L
What are the 3 main categories of causes of hyponatraemia?
- Hypervolaemic
- Euvolaemic
- Hypovolaemic
What are the causes of hypervolaemic hyponatraemia?
- Congestive heart failure
- Renal failure
- Nephrotic syndrome
- Cirrhosis/liver failure
- Hyperglycaemia
What are the causes of euvolaemic hyponatraemia?
-Diuretics
-SIADH
-Primary polydipsia
-Low Na intake
-Advanced renal failure
-Hormonal insufficiency
>Addison’s
>Hypothyroidism
>Pregnancy
What are the causes of hypovolaemic hyponatraemia?
-Renal causes: >diuretics, Addisons, nephropathy -GI causes: >D+V -Other: >Burns >Rhabdomyolysis >pancreatitis >peritonitis
What are the clinical features of hyponatraemia?
- Confusion
- Lethargy
- Seizures
- Coma
How is acute hyponatraemia treated?
-3% saline. 150ml bolus over 20 minutes
What is the general rule for treating endocrine emergencies?
-Treat on clinical suspicion and don’t wait for test results
What are the symptoms of acute adrenal failure (Addisonian crisis)?
- Pain (lower back, abdo, legs)
- Severe D+V
- Low BP
- Loss of consciousness
- Hyperkalaemia
- Hyponatraemia (confusion, lethargy, coma)
What are the causes of an Addisonian crisis?
- Can be 1st presentation
- Sepsis or Sx can cause acute exacerbation of chronic insufficiency
- Steroid withdrawal
How is addisonian crisis managed?
- Hydrocortisone 100mg IV or IM
- 1L normal saline infused over 30-60mins
- Hydrocortosione 6hrly until pt stable
- Oral replacement after 24 hrs and reduced to maintenance over 3/4 days
What is extreme hypertension and tachycardia until proven otherwise?
-Phaeochromacytoma
What is emergency management of phaeochromacytoma?
- Alpha blocker (doxazocin or phenoxybenzamine)
- Then Beta blocker (propanolol) if required
What can precipitate a phaeochromacytoma crisis?
- Exercise
- Beta blockers
- Abominal pressure
- Stress
- Emotional trauma
What is pituitary apoplexy?
-Sudden enlargement of pituitary tumour secondary to haemorrhage/infarction
What are the features of pituitary apoplexy?
-Sudden onset headache (similar to SAH)
-Vomiting
-Neck stiffness
-Visual field defects (bitemporal superior quadrantic defect)
-Extra-ocular nerve palsies
-Features of pituitary insufficiency
ie hypotension due to hypoadrenalism
How is pituitary apoplexy managed?
- MRI ?Poss surgery
- IV hydrocortisone
What are the symptoms of a thyroid storm?
- Tremor
- Vomiting
- Hypertension
- Thyrotoxicosis symptoms
How is a thyroid storm managed?
- Propylthiouracil
- Propanolol
- Lugol’s idoine
- Cholestryamine
- Fluids and supportive therapy
What are the features of hypercalcaemia?
- Painful bones, renal stones, abdominal groans and psychic moans
- corneal calcification, shortened QT, hypertension
What are the 2 main causes of hypercalcaemia?
- Primary hyperparathyroidism
- Malignancy (bony mets, myeloma)
What are some other causes of hypercalcaemia?
- Sarcoidosis
- Vit D intoxication
- Acromegaly
- Thyrotoxicosis
- Drugs: thiazides, calcium containing antacids
- Dehydration
- Addison’s disease
- Paget’s disease of the bone
How is hypercalcaemia managed?
- Rehydration with normal saline (3-4l/day)
- Bisphosphonates
- Can use calcitonin
What fluid volume is needed for daily maintenance in adults?
- 30ml/kg
- 70kg person: 30x70 =2100mls
How much sodium and potassium is needed per day in fluid maintenance?
- NA: 1-2mmol/kg
- K: 1mmol/kg
What are the sources of sensate fluid loss?
- Urine output
- Drainage from a body part
- Bleeding
What are the sources of insensate fluid loss?
- Water vapour lost by breathing
- Third spacing ie ascites
What are the signs indicating some dehydration?
- Restless, irritable
- Sunken eyes
- Thirsty, drinks eagerly
- Skin turgor returns slowly
What are signs of severe dehydration?
- Drowsy, unconscious
- Sunken eyes
- Drinks poorly, not able to eat or drink
- Skin turgor returns slowly
What is the general approach to fluid prescribing?
- Calculate defecit
- Ongoing maintenance
- Monitor results of therapy
What is the definition of major trauma?
-Serious and othern multiple injuries where there is a strong possibility of death or disability
What is the injury severity score?
- Looks at the different injuries a pt has and scores them
- >15 = major trauma
What are the main categories of injury?
- Blunt ie lacerations
- Sharp ie incisions
- Penetrating ie stab, gunshot wound
- Burns including electrical burns
Which radiological imaging should be done in a primary survey for trauma?
- Xray
- FAST USS: free fluid in abdomen
- CT scanning
When does a pt get a whole body CT?
- In most significant trauma events
- When suspect occult injuries that are not clinically detectable
- CT chest, abdo, pelvis
- Assess vsicera, vessels, spaces, bones
- Haemodynamically unstable
What mechanisms of injury require a CT?
- > 1 body system
- RTC with fatalities
- Falls from height
- Falls from a horse
- Findings on plain film/USS
What are the signs of a patient bleeding?
-Visual blood loss
-Tachycardia
>be aware of beta blockers, elderly, children, pregnant women, fitness athletes
-Prolonged cap refill time
-Hypotension
What is the lethal triad of trauma?
- Hypothermia
- Acidosis
- Coagulopathy
What is the difference between primary and secondary head injury?
- Primary: actual trauma to the white matter
- Secondary: caused by hypoperfusion, acidosis etc. A result of a process elsewhere in the body
How should a significant head injury be managed?
-Imaging
-Early referral to neurosurgery
-Ensure perfusion of brain
>hypercarbic can increase cerebral blood flow
How can raised intracranial pressure be managed?
- Cerebral dehydration: mannitol, hypertonic saline
- Reduce cerebral blood volume: ensure well oxygenated, normal co2 levels
How can the c spine be immobilised?
- Collar
- Blocks
- Tapes
What are the supratnetorial causes of unconsciousness?
- Head injury
- Stroke
What are the infratentorial causes of unconsciousness?
- Brain stem damage
- Herniation
What are the metabolic causes of unconsciousness?
- Resp: Hypoxia, hypercabia
- Hypo/hyperglycaemia
- Hyponatraemia
- Hepatic encephalopathy (high ammonia)
- Severe renal failure: high urea
- Sepsis
- Toxins, drugs
What are the important features of neuro exam to check in head injuries/LOC?
- GCS
- Pupils
- Cranial nerves
- Lateralising signs
- Focal deficits
Define sepsis:
-Life threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection