Chapter 28: Partial Airway Obstruction Flashcards
Abnormal, high-pitched sound produced by turbulent airflow through a partially obstructed airway at the level of the supraglottis, glottis, subglottis, or trachea
Stridor
Three types of stridor? Most common?
Inspiratory, expiratory, biphasic; inspiratory is most common
What type of stridor suggests a laryngeal obstruction?
Inspiratory stridor
What type of stridor implies tracheobronchial obstruction?
Expiratory stridor
What type of stridor implies suggests a subglottic or glottic anomaly?
Biphasic stridor
Stridor acts according to what principle of Physics?
Bernoulli principle
Condition defined by turbulent flow over an orificial lesion in the airway
Stridor
Relationship of diameter and length in stridorous airway:
Diameter > length
What causes turbulent flow in stridor?
Patient makes larger inspiratory/expiratory effort against a narrowed airway, which creates a pressure difference and results in stridor.
Three management techniques for partial airway obstruction:
Pharmacologic agents
Non-surgical techniques
Surgery
Which equation is the mathematical basis for laminar flow?
Hagen-Poiseuille equation
The H-P equation for laminar flow vs. turbulent flow:
Laminar flow: r^4, viscosity
Turbulent flow: r^5, density
Which H-P equation involves viscosity?
Laminar flow
Which H-P equation involves density?
Turbulent flow
What portion of the H-P equation can we manipulate when we treat partial airway obstruction? What about the surgeon?
We can manipulate air density (decreasing density = increasing flow).
Surgeons can manipulate airway radius. (Increasing radius = increasing flow)
Visible signs of partial airway obstruction?
Dyspnea, stress, breathing pattern (stridor), retractions
What are retractions and where will you see them in a patient with a partial airway obstruction?
Retractions = when the area between the ribs and in the neck sinks in when a person attempts to inhale
Seen in supraclavicular, sternal notch, intercostal, and subcostal areas of body
What can we infer from flow-volume loops?
Whether or not lesion exists
Whether lesion if fixed or variable
And if variable, whether intrathoracic or extrathoracic
What radiologic exams might we perform if we suspect a partial airway obstruction?
CT scan
MRI
What does a CT scan tell us about partial airway obstructions?
We use them to define location, cross-sectional area, and length.
Also, for diagnosis
Which method of diagnosis can be performed bedside?
Flow-volume loop, though it requires patient cooperation
On flow-volume loop, x-axis is:
time