Breathlessness Flashcards
Causes of breathlessness can be categorised anatomically into?
Muscles, nerves, bones Vascular, ventricular failure Obesity, diaphragm Airways Brain Parenchyma Pleura
Breathlessness can also be categoried functionally into?
Oxygen transport
Mechanical disadvantage (e.g. resp muscle weakness)
Respiratory drive
Perception of breathing
The rate at which oxygen is used in the body (VO2) is quantified by which Fick’s equation which is?
VO2 = CO x (CaO2 - CuO2)
Essentially how much blood you pump vs. absorb
What is important to remember about breathlessness and hypoxia?
That they aren’t mutually exclusive
Mechanical restriction/Weakness of chest wall can come from which outside pressures like? And inside pressure which means?
Outside pressure slike obestiy reducing mechanical ventilaiton
Inside = cells don’t work properly
Why does Guillain-Barré Syndrome cause breathlessness?
Peripheral nerves shut down after viral infection
Can work up to the chest and cause breathlessness
Respiratory drive in COPD leads to?
CO2 retention
What is CO2 retention?
Increased CO2 and Increased CO2 dependence
How does CO2 retention cause type II respiratory failure?
Loose hypoxic drive if oxygen is given up due to increased CO2
What is congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS) also known as Ondine’s Curse?
Hypoxic drive stops when you sleep causing respiratory arrest
How is Ondine’s Curse treated?
Ventilated through the night
Hyperventilation is functionally categorised into?
Perception of breathing
Instant breathlessness is most likely?
PE / neumothorax
Acute breathlessness (min-hours) is most likely?
Asthma
Pneumonia
Acute MI
Cardiac tamponade
Subacute breathlessness (days) is most likely=
Pleural effusion
Pulmonary vasculitis
SVCO
