case 4 Flashcards
whats gthe common triad of meningitis symptoms
the fever, headache and neck stiffness
when would we not do a lumbar puncture
in cases where patient has papillodema or other raised intracranial pressure symptoms. as the lumbar puncture can create pressure difference which can result in the brain crowning in the foramen magnum and compressing the brainstem
why do we fo the lumbar region for a spinal tap
we get them to curl up as much as possible and do lumbar puncture as this is the region where we can most easily get to the spinal column due to the shape and size of the transverse processes
whats the most common cause of meningitis in young, old and middle ages
neonates - Group B strep
upto ten is niesseria meningitis
adults and teens is also neisseria meningiditis
older people it is streptococcus pneumoniae
what is a CDR
cognititve dispositions to respond
a subset of diagnostic errors that arise through cognitive errors, especially those associated with failures in perception, failed heuristics and biases.
laymans terms
refer to the inherent tendencies or predispositions individuals have in how they perceive, process, and respond to information or situations.
whats the treatment for the close contacts of meningitis case
we want to do antibiotic prophylaxis. so the use of antibiotics to clear those bacteria especially in the nasal cavity
so rifampicin is what we do
we use rifampcin for close contacts of meningitis, otherwise what use
if pregnant we use ceftriaxone. if the person is allergic to ceftriaxone we then use ciprofloxacin
what does prophylaxis mean
In medicine, prophylaxis specifically refers to the administration of preventive measures to reduce the risk of developing a disease, experiencing its complications, or preventing its transmission to others.
what does pretest probabilities mean
how likely the clinician thinks it is that the patient will have a particular disease in the first place, given their symptoms.
whats sensitivty
the proportion of people with the disease who tests positive
whats specificity
the proportion of people without the disease who test negative
what are positive and negative predicted values
of the people who test positive whats the probability they actually have the disease - PPV
of the people who test negative whats the probability the don’t actually have the disease NPV
what is a close contact for meningitis
a person who has been in close respirator contact or been in contact with respiratory droplets 7 days before the onset of the illness and 24 hours after the onset of effective treatments.
what does it mean to have prodromal symptoms?
symptoms that are early stage and not overly specific to a particular disease.
how are sensitivity and specificity derived?
Sensitivity and specificity are derived from examining the accuracy of the test
in a group of patients who are known to have the condition of interest and a
group who do not.
