DDx Flashcards
DDx: Bradycardia
- ↑ ICP
- Cardiac: MI or conduction block
- Hypoxemia
- Hypercarbia/acidosis
- Carotid pressure
- Overdose, βBlockers/anesthetic
DDx: Jaundice
- Unconjugated: Hemolysis, Crigler/Gilbert
- Conjugated: Biliary tract obstruction, DJ/Rotors
- Viral hepatitis will ↑ both
DDx: Mental Status Change in PACU
- Pain
- Preexisting Dz
- BMP: ↓Glucose, ↓Na, Uremia, ↑Ca2+
- Medications (narcotics, Ketamine, Scopolamine, Steroids)
DDx: Oliguria
- Prerenal: Hypovolemia (most common); myocardial failure secondary to infarction, PE, tamponade, CHF; renal artery/vein occlusion secondary to thrombosis, embolism, stenosis, ACE inhibitors
- Renal: ATN, Nephritis, contrast die, malignant HTN
- Postrenal: Ureter stones, Foley kink, ureter injury
DDx: Vent Overbreathing
- Hypercarbia/Hypoxemia
- Pain/insufficient plane of anesthesia
- Medication or infiltration of paralytic
DDx: Postop Stridor
- Airway edema
- Hematoma
- b/l RLN injury
- Tracheomalacia
- Laryngospasm, HypoCa2+
DDx: PreOp Hypertension
- Pain
- Hypoxemia/Hypercarbia
- Fluid Overload
- Essential HTN
- Drugs- MAOis, TCAs, cocaine/meth, not taking anti-hypertensive
- Dz: Pheo, Autonomic Hyperreflexia, Auto Dysfxn
DDx: Pulsous Paradoxus
Definition: Inspiratory drop of systolic (10mmHg)
- Tamponade
- PE
- RV Failure
DDx: Trismus
- Pain/light anesthesia
- Excessive SCh
- Ca2+ abnormality
- MH, Myotonic dystrophy
DDx: Wheezing
- Bronchospasm
- Aspiration
- Allergic/Anaphylactic Rxn
- Airway obstruction
- ARDS/pneumonia
- Pulmonary embolism
- Pulmonary edema/volume overload
- Left heart failure (leading to pulmonary edema)
- Pneumothorax
DDx: ↑ ETCO2
SO METH
- Stuck valve
- Overfeeding
- MH
- Exhausted CO2 soda lime
- Thyroid storm
- Hyperthermia
DDx: ↓ ETCO2
- Kinked Tube
- Disconnect
- Cardiopulmonary collapse
DDx: Delayed Emergence
- Hypoxemia, Hypercarbia
- Residual Anesthetic: volatiles, opioids, benzos, IV, NMBs
- Metabolic: Hypoglycemia, Hyponatremia, DKA
- Hypothermia
- Neuro: global ischemia (not usually focal stroke), cerebral edema
DDx: Acute ↓ SpO2 / hypoxemia
- Low FiO2
- Hypoventilation:
- ↓Vt or RR, pt bucking ventilator
- Bronchospasm, laryngospasm
- Pulmonary edema
- Circuit leak
- Kinked ETT
- Mainstem intubation or accidental extubation - Residual NMBD, narcotic, anesthetic
- Cardiovascular:
- Arrhythmia
- CHF
- pHTN
- Embolus: PE, fat, air, AFE
- Hypotension - V/Q mismatch or shunt
- Pneumothorax
- Atelectasis
- Mucous Plug
- Pleural effusion
- Aspiration - Diffusion abnormality
- Increased O2 demand
- MH
- Thyrotoxicosis
- Sepsis
- Hyperthermia
- NMS
DDx: ST-depression
- NSTEMI
- non-infarction subendocardial ischemia (unstable angina)
- Digoxin use (usually with short QT and prominent U waves)
- Hypokalemia
Note: elevated cardiac enzymes differentiates NSTEMI from unstable angina
DDx: Post-Op Vision Loss
- Corneal abrasion: worsened by blinking, foreign object sensation
- Acute glaucoma: severe/diffuse periorbital pain, dry/pale eye, dilated pupil
- Glycine Toxicity: dilated/non-reactive pupils, otherwise normal exam
- Cortical blindness: unilateral or bilateral; absent optokinetic nystagmus; absent response to visual threat
- Hemorrhagic retinopathy: aka “valsalva retinopathy”; retinal edema, hemorrhages, and “floaters”
- Retinal ischemia: branch and central retinal artery occlusion; painless vision loss
- Ischemic optic neuropathy (anterior or posterior): painless visual loss, afferent pupil defect, visual field defects, or complete visual loss
DDx: pre-op stridor (PEDS)
- Epiglottitis
- Foreign body
- Peritonsillar abscess
- Pharyngitis
- Pharyngeal abscess
DDx: Hyperthermia
- Neuroleptic malignant syndrome
- Thyroid storm (no rigidity)
- Pheochromocytoma (no rigidity)
- Cocaine (no severe acidosis)
- Sepsis (no HTN or hypercarbia)
DDx: increased PVR
- Hypercarbia/acidosis
- Hypoxia
- Light anesthesia
- Catecholamine surge
- Hypothermia
DDx: HTN in Pregnancy
- Pre-E: >140/90 with proteinuria OR signs of end-organ dysfunction at >20 weeks gestation
- Chronic HTN: HTN at < 20 weeks gestation
- Gestational HTN: HTN without proteinuria or end organ dysfunction at >20 weeks gestation
- Drug use (cocaine, methamphetamine)
DDx: Pacemaker Loss of Capture
- Myocardial ischemia
- E- abnormalities (K, Ca, Mg can increase threshold)
- Lead failure
- Acid-Base disturbances
DDx: Postpartum Hemorrhage
- Uterine atony
- Uterine rupture
- Placenta accreta
- Coagulopathy
- Retained placental parts
DDx: Seizure in Preeclampsia
- Ecclamptic seizure
- Hypoglycemia
- Hypotension / Hypoxia
- Amniotic fluid embolism
- Intracranial hemorrhage
- Local anesthetic toxicity (if epidural placed)
DDx: Pulmonary Edema
Cardiogenic:
- Heart failure
- CAD / MI
- Valvular disease
- Cardiomyopathy
Non-Cardiogenic:
- Aspiration
- Neurogenic pulmonary edema
- Negative pressure pulmonary edema
- ARDS / TACO / TRALI
- Pulmonary embolism
- Allergic reaction
DDx: Acute hypotension in the trauma bay
- Hemorrhagic shock
- Neurogenic shock (c- and upper-t-spine injury)
- Tension pneumothorax
- Cardiac tamponade
- Fat embolism from long bone fracture
- Anaphylaxis
- Abdominal compartment syndrome
DDx: Masseter Muscle Rigidity
- SCh-induced MMR (overdose)
- Undiagnosed myotonic syndrome
- TMJ dysfucntion
- Undiagnosed muscular dystrophy
- MH reaction
Note that masseter muscle spasm can range from mild (trismus) to severe (rigidity). Rigidity is more likely associated with MH.
DDx: Hypotension after induction
The timing of hypotension suggests the cause may be:
- Excessive anesthesia
- Hypovolemia
- Dysrhythmia
- Anaphylactic reaction (NMBD or Abx)
- Myocardial ischemia / heart failure
- Valvular abnormality (if present)
- Autonomic neuropathy (diabetes)
- Rx (eg the patient took lisinopril day of surgery)
- Tension pneumothorax (if stem suggests possibility)
- Brain herniation -> autonomic dysfunction (if stem suggests it)
DDx: Delayed emergence following intracranial surgery
- Hematoma
- Tension pneumocephalis (esp posterior fossa surg)
- Cerebral edema
- Cerebral ischemia/infarction
- Hypoxia
- Hypercarbia
- Seizure
- Obstructive hydrocephalus
- Other DDx associated with routine anesthetic
DDx: increased airway pressure
- PE
- Bronchospasm
- PTX
- Pulmonary Edema
- Pleural Effusion
- Pulmonary aspiration
- Intraperitoneal insufflation
- Kinked ETT
- Stuck expiratory valve
- Mucous Plug
- Chest wall rigidity (narcotic or ↓paralytic)
- Abdominal compartment syndrome, abdominal insufflation
DDx: Seizure
- Epilepsy
- Intracranial hemorrhage or mass lesion
- Elevated ICP / cerebral edema
- Local anesthetic toxicity*
- Drug effect
- Hypoglycemia, hypernatremia, hypomagnesemia
- Hypoxemia / hypercarbia
- Alcohol withdrawal
- Syncope or TIA may look like seizure to an observer
DDx: syncope / sudden loss of consciousness
- Neuro: Seizure, stroke, intracranial hemorrhage/mass, viral encephalopathy
- Cardiac: arrhythmia, cardiac arrest, vasovagal, orthostatic hypotension, hypoxia/hypercarbia
- Endo: hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, electrolyte
DDx: Laryngospasm
- Light anesthesia
2. Blood, secretions, debris or pain in the distribution of the superior laryngeal nerve
DDx: Wide-Complex Tachycardia
- Ventricular Tachycardia (VT): more likely if pt age >35, hx of structural or ischemic heart disease, previous MI, CHF, cardiomyopathy, family hx of sudden death. Can be monomorphic or polymorphic (tDP). More likely if fusion/capture beats or AV dissociation is seen.
- SVT with abberancy due to ΒBB: EKG shows BBB pattern
- SVT with abberancy due to WPW: previous EKG show evidence of WPW (short PR, broad QRS, delta wave)
- AFib/Flutter/ATach with abberancy (due to WPW, will be irregular)
- Ventricular Fibrillation
DDx: Suspected AFE (what could look like AFE but isn’t)
- Eclampsia
- Hemorrhage
- Air embolism
- Aspiration
- Anaphylaxis
- PE
- Cardiomyopathy/Valvular abn/MI
- LAST
- Total Spinal
DDx: Hypotension
Rapidly Lethal causes: hemorrhage, vasodilators, tension pneumothorax, anaphylaxis, cardiac event, pneumoperitoneum, IVC compression.
- Decreased preload: hypovolemia/hemorrhage, arrhythmias, IVC compression, embolism (air, fat, AFE, blood), pneumothorax, tamponade, venodilators
- Low SVR: vasodilation (Rx, neuraxial block), shock, sepsis, endocrine abnormalities, adrenal insufficiency
- Decreased contractility: medications, low EF, myocardial ischemia, valvular disease, increased afterload, hypoxemia/hypercarbia, anesthetic toxicity
- Low HR: vagal stimulus
DDx: Acute IONM changes
- True cerebral or spinal cord ischemia/infarct
- Hypotension
- Extremes of hypoxemia or hypercarbia (change in O2 delivery)
- Hypothermia
- Increased volatile anesthetic depth
- Positioning (if it affects blood supply)
DDx: Hs and Ts
- Hypoxia
- Acidsosis (H+)
- Hypovolemia
- Hyper/hypokalemia
- Hypothermia
- Tamponade (cardiac)
- Tension pneumothorax
- Toxins (drugs)
- Thrombosis (coronary or pulmonary)
DDx: ↓ SpO2 during OLV
- Atelectasis
- Malpositioned ETT
- Mucous/blood plug
- Low FiO2 leading to HPV in dependent lung
- High mean airway pressures (peep, hyperventilation, peak inspiratory pressures)
- PE
- Vasoconstrictors