Acute inflammation 2 Flashcards
What are the immediate systemic effects of acute inflammation
Pyrexia
Nausea, feeling unwell etc
neutrophilia - raised WBC count
What are the long term systemic effects of acute inflammation
lymphadenopathy - enlargement of lymph’s
Weight loss
anemia
What are the five possible outcomes of acute inflammation
Resolution Suppuration Organisation Dissemination Chronic Inflammation
What is the best possible outcome of acute inflammation
Resolution as inflammation is resolved and everything returns to normal
What is Suppuration
Pus formation
What is pus composed of
dead tissue, organisms, exudate, neutrophils, fibrin, red cells, debris
What surrounds pus
Pyogenic membrane
What causes an abscess
collection of pus under pressure
What happens when multiloculated abscess is burst
pus bursts through pyogenic membrane and forms be cavity
What happens when pus bursts through single locule
Pus bursts out and then collapses
What is empyema
Pus in a hollow viscus
What is pyaemia
Pus discharge into blood stream
What is Organisation
Healing and repair of acute inflammation leading to fibrosis (scars)
What tissue causes the formation of scars
granulation
How is granulation tissue formed
New capillaries
Fibroblasts + collagen
Macrophages
What is fibrosis
the thickening and scarring of connective tissue
What is dissemination
Spread of acute inflammation to the bloodstream causing patient to become septic
Define: Septicaemia
Growth of bacteria in the blood
What are the clinical features of septic shock
peripheral vasodilatation tachycardia - high heart rate hypotension - low blood pressure often pyrexia sometimes haemorrhagic skin rash
How does tacycardia occur in septic shock
Mediators enter plasma and cause vasodilation decreasing systemic vascular resistance, so stroke volume decreases therefore to maintain cardiac output heart rate must increases
How is pyrexia caused in septic shock
By bacterial endotoxin acting on hypothalamus
What happens when compensation fails in septic shock
The vascular resistance to low, BP falls and cardiac output cannot be maintained
What is the result of septic shock
Tissue hypoxia (death)
Loss of organ function
Haemorrhage
Can be fatal
What is mediators
important substances control the processes of acute inflammation
Where can mediators be found
endothelial cells (lining the blood vessels)
Released from cells
Inacrive molecules in the plasma
What are the effects of mediators
Vasodilation Increased permeability Cause adhesion of neutrophils chemotaxis itch and pain
What is the two roles of plasma protein in inflammation
forms fibrin and clots exudate
immunoglobulins in plasma specific for antigen
What do cell surface mediators do
Help neutrophils stick
Give examples of molecules released as mediators
Histamine Serotonin (platelets) Cytokines Nitric oxide - smooth muscle relaxation oxygen free radicals
Blood coagulating pathway which clots fibrinogen in exudate is in dynamic balance with what other pathway
Fibrinolysis
breaks down fibrin to helps maintain blood supply
What does the kinin system do
trigger pain
What does the complement cascade do
Increases permeability
Chemotaxis
phagocytosis
cell breakdown
