cough Flashcards
signs of effective coughing when choking
- crying/verbal response
- loud cough
- able to take a breath before coughing
signs of ineffective coughing when choking
- unable to vocalise
- quiet/silent cough
- cyanosis
- unable to breathe
- decreasing LoC
what should you do if the child in ineffectively coughing and reducing level of conscious, however, still conscious
- 5 back blows
- 5 thrusts
management if child ineffectively coughing and is unconscious
- open airways
- 5 rescue breaths
- CPR
most common inhaled bodies
- nuts
- seeds
80% foreign body inhalation occurs when
children < 3 years
inhalation of what foreign body can cause oesophageal perforation
- button batteries
most coughs are caused by what
upper respiratory viral infections
cause of barking cough
acute laryngotracheobronchitis
describe whooping cough
paroxysmal prolonged bouts of coughing, sometimes ending in a sharp intake of breath
4 causes of acute cough
- viral resp infection
- bronchiolitis
- pneumonia
- foreign body
4 causes of chronic cough
- asthma
- TB
- pertusis
- suppurative lung disease e.g CF
cause of stridor
narrowing of extra-thoracic airway; worse on inspiration which is when extra-thoracic airways naturally collapse
cause of wheeze
worse on expiration when the intra thoracic airways naturally collapse
caused by viral lower respiratory tract infection and asthma
due to narrowing of the tiny airways due to oedema and secretions
viral cause of croup
parainfluenza virus
other name for croup
viral layngotracheobronchitis
prodrome period of croup
coryza + fever; 2 days prior to cough
peak season of croup
late autumn
peak incidence of croup
6 months to 3 years
signs and symptoms of croup
- sea lion, barking like cough
- stridor: due to laryngeal secretions and oedema
- raised respiratory rate
- respiratory distress: nasal flaring, tracheal tug, intercostal and subcostal recessions
- hoarse voice
when are croup symptoms worse
at night
mild grading of croup
- occasional barking cough
- no audible stridor at rest
- no/mild recessions
- child is happy and prepared to eat and drink
moderate severity of croup
- frequent barking
- easily audible stridor at rest
- suprasternal and sternal wall recessions
- little distress on agitation
- child interested in surroundings
severe croup
- frequent barking
- prominent inspiratory stridor at rest
- marked sternal wall retractions
- significant distress and agitation, lethargy, restlessness
- tachycardia
- hypoxaemia
hospital admission for croup
children with moderate/severe illness or impending respiratory failure
factors that lower the threshold for admission with croup
- immunosuppression
- age < 3 months
- chronic liver disease
- congenital heart disease
- NM disorders
- inadequate fluid intake
emergency treatment of croup
- Nebulised salbutamol
- high flow oxygen
effect of nebulised salbutatmol
Constriction of blood vessels to reduce swelling and oedema, resulting in transient improvement
how do most children recover from croup
improve spontaneously within 24 hours and have symptomatic treatment at home
duration of symptoms lasting around 3 days
self care advice for a child with croup
paracetamol/ibuprofen to treat distressed rather than the actual fever and check regularly on the child throughout the night
advice to take child to hospital if:
- stridor heard
- skin between breaths is pulling inwards
- child is restless/agitated
- pale/blue/grey
- belly sinking in when breathing
- flaring nostrils
- tracheal tug
