Dyspnea and Acute Cough Flashcards
What are the two main mechanisms leading to the sensation of Dyspnea?
Impaired ventilators mechanics
Increased respiratory drive
3 common conditions falling under the category of impaired ventilators mechanics?
Airway obstruction, muscle weakness and chest wall is not very compliant.
5 common conditions falling under the increased respiratory drive category?
CHF, impaired alveolar exchange, chemoreceptors stimulus, pregnancy, and behavioral factors
What are the two types of dyspnea?
Acute and chronic
What are 4 CV causes of acute dyspnea?
Left heart failure, ACS, tamponade, and tachycardia
What are respiratory causes of dyspnea? What are the categories and give an example of each?
Airway obstruction (bronchospasm), has exchange sucks like pneumonia, vascular disease like PE, and jacking up the ventilatory pump like pleural effusion or pneumothorax.
What is the first step in approaching a patient with acute dyspnea?
Assess VS and stabilize. Might need oxygen or invasive/non invasive ventilation support.
What are 3 symptoms of acute dyspnea?
Tachypnea, accessory muscle use and conversational dyspnea.
Once we stabilize the patient, what do we do next?
History and PE.
Low sat of o2 suggest what cause of dyspnea and what 6 causes?
Gas exchange sucks.
Asthma, COPD flare up, ARDS, HF, pulmonary fibrosis, or PVD.
What is the primary initial diagnostic tool for dyspnea after PE and history?
CXR
Focal infiltrates, air in the pleural space, basal opacity with meniscus, and cardiomegaly suggest what?
Pneumonia
Pneumothorax
Pleural effusion
Heart failure
What test allows us to exclude heart failure in the setting of acute dyspnea?
BNP level less than 100
What does laryngoscopy and bronchoscopy allow us to detect?
Aspirated caused dyspnea
What does Bronchoscopy and Bronchoalveolar lavage help us detect?
Pneumonia caused dyspnea