Emergencies Flashcards
What do you look for in ‘A’ of ABC assessment?
Airway safe?
Obstruction? stridor?
Aspiration risk if conscious level below 8 GCS
What do you look for in B of ABC?
Breathing:
Resp rate
Depth of respiration
Pattern of respiration/work of breathing
Oxygenation
CO2 elimination (hypercapnic-> bounding pulse)
Not breathing? Call 2222, use bag and mask
Categories of causes of swallow/airway dysfunction
Neuro vs direct
Name 7 neuro causes of swallow dysfunction
- Coma
- Anaesthesia
- MND
- MS
- Brainstem stroke/haemorrhage
- Congenital/genetic
- Muscular weakness/poor cough
Name 4 direct causes of swallow/airway dysfunction
- Injury, radiotherapy
- Malignancy
- Burns
- Infection
What is bad about a Guedel airway?
If person has gag reflex they may vomit
When it is too large it can close the glottis
Improper sizing can cause bleeding in the airway
How do you size a Guedel?
Size it by measuring mouth to angle of mandible
What is type 1 respiratory failure?
Type I (hypoxaemic) resp failure
PaO2< 60 mm Hg with a normal or low PaCO2
VQ mismatch (eg alveoli collapse/fluid filled)
eg pulmonary oedema, pneumonia
What is type 2 respiratory failure?
Hypercapnic
Ventilation failure
PaCO2>50mm Hg
eg drug overdose, neuromuscular disease, chest wall abnormalities
What are the 3 types of rhythm the defib will recognise?
Shockable (VF/pulseless VT)
Return of spontaneous circulation
Non shockable (PEA/asystole)
What rhythms are shockable?
VF
Pulseless VT
What rhythms are non shockable?
Asystole
PEA (pulseless electrical activity)
If shockable rhythm, what happens in CPR?
1 shock
CPR for 2 mins
Assess rhythm again
What happens when spontaneous circulation returns after CPR?
Use ABCDE approach Aim for SpO2 94-98% Aim for normal PaCO2 12 lead ECG Treat cause Temperature management
Reversible causes of cardiac arrest
4H's 4T's Hypoxia Hypovolaemia Hypo/hyperkalaemia Hypothermia Thrombosis (coronary/pulmonary) Tension pneumothorax Tamponade Toxins
Is anything injected in CPR?
Adrenaline every 3-5mins
Amiodarone after 3 shocks
or if non shockable adrenaline every other cycle
Describe a good chest compression
30:2
100-120bpm
5-6cm depth or 1/3 depth of chest
6 emergency causes of chest pain
Symptoms that differentiate cause
- STEMI (CV risk factors, Hx, STEMI will respond to cath lab treatment, 0 r and 3 hr troponin)
- Aortic dissection (BP dropping, pallor, shock, sudden, radiates to back- CT aortogram
- Pneumonia/pleuritis
- Pulmonary embolism (d-dimer to rule out if low risk,
- Pericarditis (echo to look for tamponade)
- Mediastinal tumour (weight loss/cough)
6 emergency causes of headache
Symptoms that differentiate cause
- SAH (sudden onset, worst headache ever within a second of onset, can remember what they were doing, papilloedema, meningism, focal neurological deficit)
- Meningitis
- SOL: positional, progressive, night and early morning, papilloedema
- Acute close angle glaucoma: visual loss
- Temporal arteritis (ESR, palpable pain, visual loss)
- Vertebral artery dissection (neck pain)
6 emergency causes of SOB
Symptoms that differentiate cause
- PE (DVT?)
- Pneumonia (crackles/consolidation)
- Anaphylaxis (significant airway swelling & airway compromise, urticarial, low systolic pressure (90), wheeze).
- Heart failure (paroxosymal nocturnal dyspnoea, leg swelling, functional exercise ability)
- Asthma (control/prev hospital admissions/ITU/intubation/steroid tablets)
- Anaemia
Immediate treatment of anaphylaxis
IM adrenaline 1/1000. 0.5ml. (500micrograms).
Hydrocortisone
Fluids (due to distributive shock)