Clinical Presentations I Flashcards
When to call arrest team in a peri-arrest
If concerned about A B or C
When to call the anaesthetist on D
When GCS <=8
What to do for ABCDE for basic life support
Airway - speak to patient, check in mouth, suction if required, triple airway manouvure
Breathing - listen, look and feel, listen to chest and look for equal expansion, resp rate, non-rebreathe 15 litres, saturations
Circulation - HR, ECG, two wide bore cannulas with IV access and bloods taken off the back, listen to chest
Disability - glucose, eyes, quick neuro exam and GCS
Exposure - remove all clothing, check temp, look for rash
Who usually makes up an arrest team
Leader - registrar, F1 - access/defib and BLS, anaesthetist (airway), nurses - BLS and drugs, timepoints and ECG
What blood test should always try to be achieved in an arrest
VBG
What are the three common ALS drugs
Adrenaline (1mg/10ml -1/10,000), atropine, amiodarone 300mg in 10ml
ALWAYS give with large flush (20ml) to encourage it to go centrally. 99% of things will be found on the trolley
What to do if a shockable rhythm is present
VT/VF –> deliver a shock –> CPR cont. 2 mins –> adrenaline every 3-5 mins –> shock then CPR –> shock then CPR –> amiodarone after 3 shocks.
What should be done by the leader during an arrest
Building picture of patients PMH and ruling out the four Ts and four Hs.
What are the 8 reversible causes (4T’s and 4H’s)
Thrombosis, tamponade, toxins, tension pneumothorax
Hypoglycaemia, hypoxia, hyper/hypo-kalaemia, Hypovolaemia
Things to do if spare in an arrest
Scribe, steady hand for IV access, find patient history
What are the stages of maintaining the airway in ALS
Triple airway manoeuvre
Nasopharyngeal airway (6-7mm) - horizontal with lubrication and safety pin. Don’t use if significant head injury
Oropharyngeal airway - angle of mouth to mandible. Insert upside down and rotate.
Suction - clear if required.
Intubation - anaesthetics.
What are the stages of maintaining breathing in ALS
Usually go for 15litre non-rebreathe with pulse oximeter and resp rates
Simple to advanced -
Nasal cannula (1-4L/min)
Simple face mask (Hudson mask) (5-10 L/min)
Venturi mask (can give exact % - used in COPD with type 2 resp failure)
15 litre non-rebreathe/reservoir
May require salbutamol nebuliser
What are the stages of maintaining circulation in ALS
Defibrillator (monitor mode), IV access large bore both sides with bloods, BP, HR
What are the stages of maintaining disability in ALS
Finger prick glucose
Eyes - RAPD or PEARL
GCS
Neuro exam if possible
What are the stages of maintaining exposure in ALS
Temp
Top to toe inspection and secondary survey for internal bleeding and rashes
What are the parts of the secondary survey
Exposure for injuries - has my critical care assessed patient priorities or next management decision (acronym)
AMPLE - allergies, medications, PMH, last meal, events leading up to presentation
What is the has my critical care assessed patient priorities or next management decision acronym for secondary survey
Has - head/skull
My - maxillofacial
Critical - cervical spine
Care - chest
Assessed - abdomen
Patient’s - pelvis
Priorities - perineum
Or - orifices (PR/PV)
Next - neurological
Management - msk
Decision - diagnostic tests and definitive care
Name 5 places to check for catastrophic bleeding
On the floor and four more -
Floor, long bones, cranium, chest, abdomen
Pulses to check in infant CPR
Brachial
Chest compression ration in any child or infant
15:2
Stages of a neonatal arrest
Dry baby –> assess tone, RR and HR, –> gasping or not breathing then 5 rescue breaths –> 5 rescue breaths –> HR<60 or undetectable CPR
What are the two major differences in an obstetric arrest
Left lateral position 15 degrees
Emergency surgery within 5 minutes if no success as improves chest compression and venous return for the mother. Mother takes priority over baby.
How would you approach a patient with acute chest pain and think about scans or test to do
Hx - SOCRATES, any associating symptoms, pain on eating, postural pain, pain on moving, pain on breathing, cold symptoms, PMH, drugs and allergies
A - patency
B - RR, sats, listen to chest, percuss and feel trachea, O2 if needed
C - ECG, BP, listen to hear, IV access with bloods (FBC, U+E, D-dimer, troponin, LFT, CRP), HR, CRP, fluids if needed
D - glucose, Eyes, GCS, quick neuro exam
E - expose patient and examine, check abdo and legs, temp
Scans - CXR, ECG, bloods, ECHO (wall motion abnormalities)
Call for senior help
Reassess from ABCDE
Medication to give - morphine, cyclizine, treatment for diagnosis
Possible diagnoses for acute chest pain
ACS, pneumothorax, pneumonia, pericarditis, PE, pulmonary oedema, anxiety, costochondritis, peptic ulcer disease, reflux, myocarditis, cardiac tamponade, sickle cell crisis
How to tell the difference between the 3 ACS’s
STEMI - raised ST on ecg and raised troponin
NSTEMI - T wave inversion, q waves, raised troponin
Unstable angina - ST depression, T wave inversion and no elevated troponin
Features that point towards pericarditis/myocarditis on examination
Pericardial rub, fever, recent flu/cold
What to check on examination if suspected aortic dissection
Tearing between scapulas so check if dirrences in both radial pulses.
CXR - widened mediastinum
What is heard in pneumonia on the chest
Basal crepitations
fine - alveoli
coarse - wider airways
When is troponin sensitive for MI
3-12 hours after myocardial necrosis
Other causes of raised troponin
sepsis
hypovolemia
atrial fibrillation
congestive heart failure
pulmonary embolism
myocarditis
myocardial contusion
renal failure
What is the acute treatment for a STEMI
Remember and see if it rests as you investigate and before giving treatment - could be stable angina
MOANAA - Morphine, oxygen, aspirin, nitrites (GTN), atenolol (beta-blocker)
Anti-emetic
PCI <2hrs or thrombolysis
Continuous ECG monitoring thereafter with DVT prophylaxis
What is the secondary prevention for a STEMI
5 As - Aspirin, anti-platelet (clopidogrel), atenolol (BB), atorvastatin, ACEi
What is the acute treatment for a NSTEMI
BATMAN -
Beta blockers, aspirin, ticagrelor, morphine, anticoagulant (LMWH - fondaparinux), nitrates - GTN
Anti-emetic
GRACE score for PCI
What is the difference between unstable angina and NSTEMI
NSTEMI - positive troponin and chest symptoms and ECG signs
UA - negative troponin but chest symptoms and possibly ECG signs
What is the acute treatment for unstable angina
BATMAN -
Beta blockers, aspirin, ticagrelor, morphine, anticoagulant (LMWH - fondaparinux), nitrates - GTN
Anti-emetic
GRACE score for PCI
What is the treatment for stable angina
Investigate as NSTEMI
GTN and morphine
What is the secondary prevention for stable angina
5A’s - atenolol, ACEi, aspirin, anticoagulants (clopidogrel), atorvastatin,
How is an aortic dissection investigated
Radial-radial delay and tearing chest and back pain with hypertension usually.
FBC, troponin, U+Es, CRP, ECG, CXR (widened mediastinum), TOE
How is an aortic dissection acutely managed
Senior help ASAP
If hypotensive - treat as shock, two large bore cannula with bloods and fluid bolus (speak to senior first)
If hypertensive - ACEi or CCB (speak to senior first)
How is an aortic dissection managed long-term
Type A (ascending aorta) - surgery
Type B - (descending aorta) - conservative management
How to manage MSK chest pain
Usually sorer on palpation and movement with negative cardiac investigations
Reassure with simple analgesia
How to manage pericarditis
Pleuritic chest pain worse on lying flat and deep inspiration with recent viral illness and pericardial rub
Reassurance and NSAIDs/paracetamol, settles in 2-4 weeks
How to investigate a tachyarrhythmia emergency
Brief history - pain, associated symptoms, PMH, D+A,
Airway
Breathing - O2, sats, RR
Circulation - listen to heart, CRT, HR, BP, IV access, bloods (FBC, U+E, LFT, TFTs, troponin, CRP, VBG,), ECG
Disability - glucose, eyes, GCS, neuro exam
Exposure - Temp
How to treat tachyarrhytmia’s
If shock or syncope - 3 DC shocks –> Amiodarone 300mg IV –> shock –> amiodarone 300mg IV over 24 hrs
Narrow and regular (SVT) - vasovagal –> 6mg –> 12mg –>12mg
Narrow and irregular (AF) - Beta blocker (if HF then amiodarone/digoxin)
Broad and regular (VT) - ALWAYS CHECK FOR CAROTID PULSE (no pulse then CPR) if pulse - Amiodarone 300mg IV over 20-60mins then 900mg over 24 hrs
Broad and irregular - amiodarone
How is AF managed acutely
If shock or syncope - 3 DC shocks –> Amiodarone 300mg IV –> shock –> amiodarone 300mg IV over 24 hrs
If no shock/syncope - Beta blocker/CCB
Unless HF then flecainide/amiodarone or DC cardiovert
Investigate cause
Can do HASBLED and CHADVASC score if time
How is atrial flutter managed
IV access and bloods
Monitor rhythm
Vagal manouvures –> DC cardioversion
What drugs to avoid in WPW syndrome and how to treat
Verapamil and digoxin
Need electrophysiology studies before ablation of the accessory pathway.
What is the acute treatment for VT
If pulseless - call arrest team and start BLS
If pulse - IV access, bloods, amiodarone or DC cardioversion
Causes of prolonged QT
Amiodarone, fluoxetine, haloperidol, loratadine, fluconazole, erythromycin and clarithromycin.
Low magnesium, low potassium and low calcium
Sinus brady and complete heart block
SAH
Myocarditis
How to treat torsades de pointes
2g IV over 15 mins of magnesium sulphate
How is a bradyarrhythmia acutely managed
Brief history - pain, associated symptoms, PMH, D+A,
Airway
Breathing - O2, sats, RR
Circulation - listen to heart, CRT, HR, BP, IV access, bloods (FBC, U+E, LFT, TFTs, troponin, CRP, VBG,), ECG, ATROPINE
Disability - glucose, eyes, GCS, neuro exam
Exposure - Temp
If shock or syncope risk - atropine 500 micrograms IV - can repeat up to 6 times –> transvenous pacing
If no adverse features - observe
Work out cause