Breathlessness

Question 1

Name some causes of breathlessness.

Answer 1

Asthma
Heart failure
Pulmonary embolism
Angina
Hyperventilation
Anamina

Question 2

What are some of the anatomical catergories of breathlessness?

Answer 2

Vascular
Ventricular failure
Brain
NVM
Airways
Parenchyma
Pleura

Question 3

What is parenchyma?

Answer 3

This the functional part of an organ that carries out work. This separates is from the structural parts of an organ.

Question 4

What are some vascular causes of breathlessness?

Answer 4

Pulmonary emboli and pulmonary hypertension

Question 5

Why does obesity lead to an increase in breathlessness?

Answer 5

The ratio of fat to muscle mass is increased and there is therefore more fat to put strain on the muscles of respiration. This therefore makes patients more breathless.

Question 6

How can the brain increase breathlessness?

Answer 6

The brain is responsible for an individuals ‘respiratory drive’. There can be an increase in the perception of breathing meaning that patients can begin to think about their breathing which causes them to become more breathless or there can be issues with the brain that cause the resp. drive to fail.

Question 7

What are some pleural causes of breathlessness?

Answer 7

Thickening of the pleura can put more pressure on the lungs and cause breathlessness or a pleural effusion may occur.

Question 8

What are the four functional catergories of breathlessness? (things can go wrong in these four areas)

Answer 8

Oxygen transport chain
Mechanical disadvantage
Respiratory drive
Perception of breathing

Question 9

What can deficiencies in the O2 transport chain cause?

Answer 9

Issues can lead to hypoxia, fatigue and breathlessness.

Question 10

What is the fick equation used to calculate?

Answer 10

How much O2 can come into the body at any one time.

Question 11

What is the formula for the fick equation?

Answer 11

VO2 = CO x (CaO2 - CvO2)

Oxygen uptake = cardiac output x O2 extraction.

Question 12

What is VO2 max?

Answer 12

This is the maximum volume of oxygen consumption. It will remain at a steady state despite increased workload.

Question 13

What are some mechanical restriction reasons for lung disease?

Answer 13

MND
Obesity
Pleural Effusion
Guillain-Barre Syndrome
Hyperinflation from Obstructive Lung Disease
ILD

Question 14

What is Guillain-Barre Sundrome?

Answer 14

This is where the peripheral nerves stop working after viral illness. This can cause mechanical weakness to ventilation.

Question 15

What is Odine’s Curse?

Answer 15

This is when a stroke causes you to lose your respiratory drive when you fall asleep.

Question 16

What is perception of breathing?

Answer 16

This is when you begin to think about your breathing, This causes an increase in respiratory rate, tensing of the chest muscles.

Question 17

What causes a patient to get perception of breathing?

Answer 17

Anxiety or trauma

Question 18

What are some causes of instant breathlessness?

Answer 18

Pneumothorax

Pulmonary Embolus

Question 19

What are some causes of acute breathlessness

Answer 19

Asthma exacerbation
Pneumonia
Acute MI
Cardiac Tamponade

Question 20

What are some causes of subacute breathlessness?

Answer 20

Pleural Effusion
Pulmonary Vasculitis
Superior Vena Cava Obstruction

Question 21

What are some causes of Chronic Breathlessness?

Answer 21

COPD
ILD
Pulmonary Hypertension Anaemia

Question 22

What are some of the investigations that we can do into the causes of breathlessness?

Answer 22

Basic Spirometry
Body Box Measurements
Gas Transfer
Peak Flow Measurements
CXR
VQ Scan