Chapter 15 Respiratory Emergencies Flashcards
Your patient has a chronic respiratory condition. His stimulus to breathe is triggered by low oxygen levels in the blood. This is known as the:
Hypoxic drive
What must be assessed in every respiratory patient?
Lung sounds
Crackles (rails) are caused by:
Air passing through fluid
PASTE is own alternative assessment tool for:
Respiratory patients
What does PASTE stand for?
Provoke, progression Associated chest pain Sputum (color and amount) Talking, tiredness Exertion
What is a genetic disorder that predisposes the patient to repeated lung infections?
Cystic fibrosis
What area of the lungs does respiration occur?
Alveoli
In order for efficient pulmonary gas exchange to occur:
Oxygen and carbon dioxide must be able to freely defuse across the alveolarCapillary membrane
A 59-year-old male with a history of emphysema complains of an acute worsening of his dyspnea and pleuritic chest pain following a forceful cough. Your assessment reveals that he has a barrel shaped chest, unilaterally diminished breath sounds, and tachycardia. What is the most likely cause of this patient’s condition?
Spontaneous pneumothorax
Asthma is caused by a response of the:
Immune system
A 30-year-old male presents with acute shortness of breath, widespread hives, and facial swelling. He denies any past medical history and takes no medications. During your assessment, you hear wheezing over all the lung fields. His blood pressure is 90/50 mmHg and his heart rate is 110 bpm. In addition to giving him high flow oxygen, the most important treatment for this patient is:
Epinephrine
When auscultating the lungs of a patient with respiratory distress, you hear adventitious sounds. This means the patient has:
Abnormal breath sounds
While auscultating an elderly woman’s breath sounds, you hear a low pitched rattling sound at the bases of both her lungs. This finding is most consistent with what condition?
Aspiration pneumonia
You are in assisting an asthma patient with his prescribed metered dose inhaler. After the patient takes a deep breath and decompresses the inhaler, you should:
Instruct him to hold his breath for as long as he comfortably can
A plural effusion is most accurately defined as:
Fluid accumulation outside the lung
You are a tending to a 3-year-old male patient who is presenting with severe shortness of breath. His parents report that he has had a cough and cold with a low grade fever for the past two days. They became worried today, as his level of distress has increased dramatically. On assessment, the patient is sitting upright and making high-pitched noises with each breath. Based on this information, the patient is most likely suffering from:
A viral infection of the upper respiratory tract
His parents tell you that there son has had a chest infection for the past two days and when they took him to their family doctor, they were told it was likely due to a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). They have kept him well hydrated, but the infection seems to have gotten worse. On auscultation, you hear decreased air entry bilaterally with fine expiratory wheezes and the occasional course wet crackle. Based on this information, your patient is most likely suffering from:
Bronchiolitis
You are attending to a 54 year old female patient in a homeless shelter. The patient tells you that she had the flu a couple weeks ago, and she has not gotten over it. She has been tired and keeps waking up at night, sweating. She has been coughing up green sputum occasionally and has been experiencing episodes of chest pain that gets worse when she breathes. Based on this information, your patient is most likely suffering from:
Tuberculosis
If carbon dioxide levels drop too low, the person automatically breathes:
Slower and less steeply
If the levels of carbon dioxide in the arterial blood rises above normal, the patient breathes:
Rapidly and deeply
Inflammation and swelling of the pharynx, larynx, and trachea resulting in a “seal bark” cough are typically caused by
Croup
_____ is a sign of hypoxia to the brain.
Altered mental status
_____ is a genetic disorder that affects the lungs and digestive system.
Cystic fibrosis
Asthma produces a characteristic _____ as patient’s attempts to exhale for partially obstructed passages.
Wheezing
Always consider _____ in patients who were eating just before becoming short of breath.
Upper airway obstruction
_____ passes from the blood through capillaries to tissue cells.
Oxygen
_____ is an orderless, highly poisonous gas that results from incomplete oxidation of carbon in combustion.
Carbon monoxide
A patient with a barrel like chest and a puffing style of breathing most likely has _____.
COPD
What does COPD stand for?
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Define COPD
A slow process of dilation and disruption of the airways and alveoli
What are two types of COPD?
Chronic bronchitis
Emphysema
What is asthma?
An acute spasm of the bronchioles associated with excessive mucous production and swelling of the mucous lining
What is the normal psychological drive to breathe?
CO2
In patients with COPD, what is their drive to breathe?
Hypoxic drive
What are 3 abnormal lung sounds?
Crackles (rales)
Wheezing
Rhonchi
What is croup caused by?
Inflammation and swelling of the pharynx, larynx, and trachea
What are hallmark signs of croup?
Stridor and seal-bark cough
What does RSV stand for?
Respiratory Syncytial Virus
What is RSV?
Infection in the lungs and breathing passages
What does pneumonia do in the patient?
Impairs the ability to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide
What is pertussis?
Whooping cough
An airborne bacterial infection that primarily affect children younger that 6
What are two signs/symptoms seen in pertussis (whooping cough)?
Cold-like symptoms
A “whoop” sound on inspiration after a coughing attack
What is influenza type A?
An animal respiratory disease that has mutated to infect humans
What is tuberculosis (TB)?
A bacterial infection caused by mycobacterium which is immune to many antibiotics
What might an active TB patient report?
Fever Coughing Fatigue Night sweats Weight loss Productive/bloody sputum Chest pain Shortness of breath
What is acute pulmonary edema?
Fluid buildup between the alveoli and the pulmonary capillaries (usually the result of CHF)
What is pleural effusion?
A collection of fluid outside the lung on one or both sides of the chest
What is cystic fibrosis (CF)?
A genetic disorder that affects the lungs and digestive system (predisposed to repeated infections)
Mucous becomes thick, sticky, and hard to move
What is chronic bronchitis?
Ongoing irritation of the trachea and bronchi (tobacco smoke)
What is emphysema?
The loss of elastic material in the lungs
What type of patients can possibly benefit from CPAP application?
Pulmonary edema
COPD
What are two medications a COPD patient might take?
Bronchodilator
Oxygen
