Aquifer - Pulmonary Flashcards
26
DDx - wheezing (infants and toddlers)
Most common: viral bronchiolitis, asthma, foreign body aspiration, gastroesophageal reflux
Less common: tracheomalacia, extrinsic compression (adenopathy, mass, vascular ring/sling, other anatomic lesion), CF
Important history questions to ask when investigating wheezing in infants and toddlers?
- Timing of wheeze
- Association with feeding
- Change with position or activity
- Other exacerbating factors
- History of wheezing in the past + response to treatment (bronchodilator or steroids)
True or false - for a first episode of wheezing, diagnoses other than asthma need to be higher on the differential.
True
What are two observations to consider when initially looking for signs of respiratory distress?
Can the patient speak in full sentences? Do they appear short of breath while talking?
List 6 signs of respiratory distress.
- Paradoxical breathing
- Tachypnea
- Retractions
- Nasal flaring
- Grunting
- Head bobbing
What is paradoxical breathing?
Occurs when the force of contraction generated by the diaphragm exceeds the ability of the chest wall muscles to expand the rib cage. As a result, the chest is drawn inward with inspiration, and the abdomen rises due to downward displacement of abdominal contents.
(Seen more in younger children/infants due to greater compliance of the chest wall)
Almost always a sign of very severe respiratory distress due to respiratory muscle fatigue
What is the difference between hyperpnea and hypopnea?
Hyperpnea - increased depth and rate of breathing (without respiratory distress, may suggest a non-pulmonary condition such as fever, acidosis, or extreme anxiety - hyperventilation syndrome)
Hypopnea - reduced tidal volume (increases the proportion of each breath used to ventilate dead space, so may result in hypoventilation even in the setting of a normal or elevated RR)
What are retractions and what causes them?
Abnormal use of accessory muscles to augment breathing during respiratory distress
Reflect increased WOB due to decreased lung compliance (primary pathology or edema)
Suprasternal and intercostal retractions occur due to excessive negative pleural pressure
Subcostal retractions occur when the diaphragm is flattened during inward pulling on the chest wall
May be seen in severe obstructive airway disease, including asthma, bronchiolitis, and foreign body obstruction
What does nasal flaring indicate?
Accessory muscles are being used for respiration
What does grunting indicate?
Seen in infants
Audible sound of air being expelled through a partially closed glottis, is thought to help infants generate the positive pressure necessary to stent airways open, increase lung volumes, and improve gas exchange
What causes head bobbing?
Seen in young infants
Due to the use of accessory muscles (neck strap muscles) - in synchrony with each inspiration, the head is noted to bob forward due to neck flexion caused by the use of neck strap mucsles (best observed in sleep)
What may reduce signs of respiratory distress even though a patient’s condition is deteriorating?
Respiratory muscle fatigue (check a blood gas in this situation for possible elevated PCO2 indicative of hypoventilation)
If a patient is hypoxemia, what should be done?
Oxygen therapy as soon as indicated; can be administered via a variety of methods including blow-by, nasal cannula, facemask, or endotracheal tube (most serious)
True or false - oxygen should be withheld in cases of severe hypoxemia in patients with chronic hypercarbia.
False - although some patients with chronic hyeprcarbia depend on their hypoxemia for their respiratory drive, oxygen should never be withheld in cases of severe hypoxemia. These patients should be monitored closely and given only as much oxygen as they need to maintain reasonable saturation.
What are the most common infectious causes of respiratory diseases in children?
Viruses
Discuss the triphasic course of pertussis.
- Catarrhal (1-2 weeks) - URI symptoms
- Paroxysmal (4-6 weeks) - repetitive, forceful coughing episodes followed by massive inspiratory effort, resulting in the characteristic “whoop.” Of note, infants do not usually develop a whoop due to relative weakness of their inspiratory effort
- Convalescent - paroxysms of cough gradually decrease in frequency and severity; episodic cough may persist for months
Complications of pertussis?
Infants > older children
Difficulty feeding (due to cough), CNS complications (e.g., apnea)
Discuss immunization against pertussis.
Acellular pertussis vaccine recommended for all children; even with full immunization, it is only 70-90% effective. Protection also wanes with time such that many adolescents are unprotected unless reimmunized.
What is the most common cause of epiglottitis historically? Now?
H. influenza type b (Hib); staph and strep
What ages is epiglottitis most likely to present?
2-5 years
Presentation of epiglottitis?
Fever, stridor, drooling, dysphonia, dysphagia, respiratory distress
Toxic-appearing, sniffing position
When suspected on clinical grounds, what should be done for epiglottitis?
Prompt intervention in a controlled environment to secure the airway - most often done in the OR - while waiting, do not disturb or examine the child due to risk of acute deterioration
How does epiglottitis appear on XR?
Thumb sign (thickening of the epiglottis and the aryepiglottic folds)
When should diphtheria be considered?
Child with pharyngitis and a low-grade fever, particularly if stridor or hoarseness is present + characteristic gray pseudomembrane seen in the pharynx
What is asthma?
Chronic disorder of the airways that involves a complex interaction of airflow obstruction, bronchial hyperresponsiveness, and underlying inflammation
What is the most common chronic disease in children in developed countries?
Asthma
List 3 risk factors for asthma.
- Gender (M>F)
- Race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic black children)
- Lower SES
Discuss the pathophysiology of asthma.
Infiltration of inflammatory cells into the airway mucosa, mucus hypersecretion, and mucosal edema , accomopanied by bronchoconstriction
How is asthma diagnosed?
Diagnosis requires:
- Symptoms of recurrent airway obstruction by H&P
- Demonstration that airway obstruction is at least partially reversible (Children >5 should do spirometry; younger children should do a trial of bronchodilator treatment)
- Exclusion of other causes of obstruction
CXR can help exclude other causes of wheezing, but would not be essential in establishing a diagnosis
Presentation of asthma? Acute and chronic
Acute - cough, wheezing, tachypnea, dyspnea, wheezing (typically diffuse, but can be focal in the setting of mucus plugging)/diminished air exchange on chest exam
More severe exacerbation - minimal air exchange, absence of wheezing due to poor airflow, cyanosis, and pulsus paradoxus
Chronic - recurrent episodes of dyspnea and/or cough
Discuss the asthma classification system.
During initial presentation, emphasis is on assessment of severity as a guide to starting therapy. Once treatment is initiated, emphasis is on assessment of control as a guide to maintaining or adjusting therapy.
What elements are used to assess severity and control of asthma?
Frequency of daytime symptoms Frequency of nighttime awakenings related to asthma Interference with activity Pulmonary function Use of SABAs
What is the difference between intermittent and persistent asthma?
Intermittent - daytime symptoms for 2 or fewer days/week, nighttime awakening less than 2x/month, no interference with activity (Rx with SABA prn)
Persistent: more frequent symptoms, more interference witha activity (Rx with daily controller + SABA prn)
Radiographic findings of asthma?
Hyperinflation due to air trapping, increased interstitial markings, patchy atelectasis
What are the primary goals of therapy in treating asthma?
Reduce airway inflammation
Dilate the airways
How is an acute asthma exacerbation treated?
Anti-inflammatory therapy (corticosteroids) + bronchodilation with SABAs + supportive care for hypoxemia or dehydration
Most commonly prescribed inhaled steroids?
Beclomethasone, fluticasone, and budesonide
When do inhaled steroids become beneficial?
After several weeks of daily use
Which population of children with asthma may require daily use of anti-inflammatory medications for a limited period of time?
Children with only seasonal symptomatlogy; may start several weeks before the expected exposure
Children receiving long-term inhaled corticosteroid therapy should be routinely monitored for what?
Elevation in BP, serum blood sugar, growth delay, and cataract development
What does spirometry measure?
Active lung volume (i.e., air volumes that a patient actively blows into the spirometer while the rate of air flow is measured)
Describe the process of obtaining a volume-time spirogram.
- Tidal breaths to determine tidal volume
- Slow and forced vital capacity breath performed to determine the maximum amount of air that can be inspired (TLC) and released
- Forced exhalation (rate of airflow) - FEV1
Measurements are obtained before and after bronchodilator use
Spirometry findings in obstructive lung disease?
Reduction in airflow and trapping of air inside the thorax behind tight, plugged airways lowers the FEV1 more than the FVC, leading to a low FEV1/FVC ratio
Spirometry findings in restrictive lung disease?
Low FEV1 + proportionately reduced FCV - normal FEV1/FVc ratio
What is the most common cause of wheezing in infants?
Acute bronchiolitis (viral disease of the lower respiratory tract)