CPC 1 (breathlessness) and basic resp Flashcards
Causes of clear grey mucoid sputum
Chronic bronchitis and COPD
Causes of white viscid mucoid sputum
Asthma
Causes of purulent yellow sputum
Acute bronchopulmonary infection. Asthma.
Causes of purulent green sputum
Longer standing infection; pneumonia, bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis, lung abscess.
Rusty red sputum
Pneumococcal pneumonia.
Classes of causes of haemoptysis
Tumour, infection, vascular, vasculitis, trauma, cardiac, haematological.
Classes of causes of central chest pain
Tracheal, cardiac, oesophageal, great vessels.
Causes of chronic cough in a non-smoker with a normal X-ray.
GORD, chronic sinus disease or ACE inhibitors.
Causes of chronic wheezy cough
COPD and asthma.
Feeble non-explosive ‘bovine’ cough
lung cancer invading the left recurrent laryngeal nerve.
Harsh, barking, painful cough with stridor
laryngeal inflammation, infection or tumour.
Persistent moist cough in the morning.
Chronic bronchitis.
Dry, centrally painful, non-productive cough
tracheitis and pneumonia.
Chronic dry cough
interstitial lung disease
Inspiratory stridor
narrowing at the vocal cords
Biphasic stridor
tracheal obstruction
Expiratory stridor
tracheobronchial obstruction.
respiratory systems review
Shortness of breath Cough Wheeze Sputum production (colour, amount) Blood in sputum Chest pain
coarse crackles can be caused by…
pneumonia, exacerbation of COPD, bronchiectasis
Bilateral wheeze is caused by
Asthma, exacerbation of COPD, (LVF)
Bilateral fine crackles are caused by
LVF, (or exacerbation of COPD)
Focal reduced air entry
Pneumonia
Purulent phlegm
Pneumonia, exacerbation of COPD, (asthma).
Questions about cough
Onset,
Timing (on swallowing? Weekends?)
Questions about sputum
Colour
Amount
Taste or smell
Solid material
Questions about haemoptysis
Onset
Amount
Appearance
Haemoptysis for more than a week raises concern over…
Lung cancer.
Haemoptysis with purulent sputum suggests…
Infection
Coughing up large amounts of pure blood suggests…
Lung cancer, bronchiectasis, tuberculosis and lung abscess.
Causes of breathlessness while lying flat
LVF, resp muscle weakness, large pleural effusion or pressure on chest e.g. obesity, massive ascites
Causes of breathlessness lying on one side
Unilateral lung disease, dilated cardiomyopathy or tumour pressing on mediastinum.
Causes of breathlessness waking patient from sleep
Typical of asthma or LVF
Causes of breathlessness on walking or other exercise
COPD, may improve on coughing. Asthma, may continue to worsen for several minutes after stopping exercise.
Causes of tachypnoea due to increased ventilatory drive.
Fever, acute asthma and exacerbation of COPD.
Causes of tachypnoea due to reduced ventilatory capacity
Pneumonia, pulmonary oedema and interstitial lung disease.
Causes of bradypnoea
Opioid toxicity, hypercapnia, hypothyroidism, raised ICP and hypothalamic lesions.
What is one pack year
Smoking 1 pack of 20 cigarettes per day for a year equates to a single pack year.
Causes of bronchiectasis
Whooping cough or measles, especially if complicated by pneumonia.
Can be idiopathic.
Lung complications of connective tissue disorders and rheumatoid arthritis.
Pulmonary fibrosis, effusions, bronchiectasis.
Exposures causing pulmonary fibrosis
Asbestos, quartz, coal, beryllium (nuclear and aerospace industries)
Exposures other than smoking causing COPD
Coal, in coal mining.
Exposures causing malignancy
Asbestos and radon (in metal miners)
Exposures causing byssinosis
Cotton, flax or hemp.
Investigations for suggested asthma
Peak flow rate, eosinophil count (allergic asthma), allergen tests (specific IgE, skin prick).
Bronchial challenge test can exclude asthma
Causes of hyper-resonance
Pneumothorax
Causes of dullness on percussion
Consolidation, pulmonary collapse, severe fibrosis.
Causes of stony dullness
Pleural effusion, haemothorax.
Causes of early inspiratory crackles
Small airway disease e.g. bronchiolitis
Causes of middle to late inspiratory crackles
Pulmonary edema (middle and late), pulmonary fibrosis, COPD, pneumonia, abscess, TB (coarse).
Causes of biphasic coarse crackles
Bronchiectasis.
Causes of bronchial breathing
Common; pneumonia causing consolidation.
Whispering pectoriloquy
The whispering is not heard over normal lung, only over consolidation.
Common causes of chronic shortness of breath
Obesity, COPD, anaemia, congestive heart failure, asthma
Less common causes of chronic shortness of breath.
Bronchiectasis, many small PEs, malignancy, effusion, aortic stenosis, fibrosing alveolitis.
Define dyspnoea
Difficulty breathing
Define tachypnoea
Increased rate of breathing