Exam 1 Physical Assessment Flashcards
What are the two components of a health assessment?
Health History (can be subjective)
Physical Assessment (more objective)
Caucasians have a 20% higher chance of _________ cancer than African Americans.
_______ cancer is higher in African Americans than Caucasians.
Skin Cancer
Prostate Cancer
What is the classical difficult breathing pose?
Tripod
A large amount of weight loss (30-40 lbs) over a short period of time for a young person can indicate __________.
Diabetes (Type 1)
Why is it important to note hygiene during the physical assessment?
Can indicate socioeconomic status, funding, and educational status. (consider alternatives)
An unpleasant odor may be __________
Cultural
Patient may not consider their odors unpleasant
From an anesthesia standpoint, what two illicit substances are we concerned with?
Cocaine
Meth
Hard time treating BP with these two drugs in the system
What is the most important thing to do before the anesthesia time out?
Patient Identification (Name/DOB/MRN)
Involve the patient.
In critically ill patients, peripheral temperatures are often _________.
Inaccurate
Be sure to accurately document body temp
What is the most common measurement of height and weight?
BMI
Thank you insurance company
The scientific study of the measurements and proportions of the human body.
Anthropometry
Extremes of weight may have issues with ___________.
Large patients may be __________.
Emaciated patients may be ___________.
Extremes of weight may have issues with wound healing.
Large patients may be diabetic
Emaciated patients may be malnourished
This patient population may be prone to positioning injuries.
What is the normal range of adult breaths per/min?
10-18 breaths per minute
How do you prevent kids from rolling the temp probe around their mouth when obtaining a reading?
Ask the child to make the kiss face or duck lips.
When do you avoid rectal temp probes?
Uncooperative patients
Immuno-suppressed patients
Patient on blood thinners
What is important to ask patients when they state they have medication allergies.
Ask what the medication does during the “allergic” reactions sometimes it is a common side effect rather than a true allergic reaction.
How many cigarettes are in a pack?
A patient has smoked half a pack for 50 years. Calculate the pack year.
20 cigarettes in a pack
25 pack years
0.5 packs x 50 years = 25 pack years
Legionnaires’ disease is a lung infection you can get from inhaling droplets of water from things like _______ or ________.
Air conditioning and Hot Tubs
Environmental factors associated with health history
What is important to note during the health history when inquiring about a patient’s medication.
When they last took them
What is the leading cause of beta-blocker overdose?
Accidental excess intake
What medication do you want to avoid if someone is wheelchair-bound?
Succinylcholine
What can cause corneal abrasion if these are left on the patient?
Contact lens
Ensure all dentures are removed pre-op to reduce _______.
Risk of injury and aspiration
___________ fractures are notoriously known for a rough emergence.
Mandibular
How did you think they broke their jaw? Fights. Crazy patients are still crazy after anesthetics. Consider adjuncts.
Palms and fingers are used to palpate for:
Texture
Mass
Fluid
Assess skin temperature
Ask for consent before you touch them, tell them what you are doing. Surprises are not a good thing
What are the three types of palpations?
Light - slow gentle pressure (1-2 cm)
Deep - used to detect abdominal masses, abdominal cavity (4-5 cm)
Bimanual - using both hands to trap something (neck masses)
What organ is important to percuss?
Lungs
Important to figure out whether there is fluid or air (hemothorax or pneumothorax)
What are the 3 methods of percussion?
Mediate or indirect percussion- striking finger, used on abdomen and thorax
Immediate Percussion- directly striking surface with fingers, used on sinus or an infant thorax
Fist Percussion- one hand flat on the surface and striking the back of the hand with a fist, used to evaluate back and kidney tenderness.
What is a cool way to assess your sinus cavity?
Stick a flashlight in your mouth
Percussion on air-filled spaces will have ________.
Percussion on fluid-filled spaces will have a ______ sound.
Resonance (drumlike noises)
Dull sound
What is circumoral cyanosis?
Blue discoloration around the mouth only. It is usually seen in infants, especially above the upper lip. If your child has darker skin, the discoloration might look more gray or white. Discoloration may also appear on hands and feet.
When you see someone with jaundice what do you need to think about?
Impaired liver
Impaired coagulation and bleeding
What is cholestasis?
The interruption of bile flow from the liver. The bile containing conjugated bilirubin remains in the liver instead of being excreted.
What is the treatment for gallstones and bile duct stones?
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)
What is the concern with vitiligo patients?
It is an autoimmune disorder and they will have trouble fighting off infections.
What are you worried about with raccoon eyes?
Basilar skull fx and direct facial trauma
What are Battle signs?
Bruising over the mastoid process, an indication of head trauma, basilar skull fracture.
What can cause petechiae?
Thrombocytopenia
Leukemia
Infectious Disease - Septic
Meds - Allergies
Infectious Disease - Septic
Asphyxiation/ Strangulation
Prolonged Straining
One of the main types of cancer to affect people with HIV.
Kaposis Sarcoma
Important to inspect skin lesions
What does poor skin turgor indicate?
Dehydration or chronic condition
Why is it important to assess symmetry with edema?
Edema can occur as a result of a systemic issue such as cardiac failure or a localized issue such as an inflammatory response to a bee sting, DVT, or compartment syndrome.
The angle between the nail should be ______.
160 degrees
Greater than 180 degrees = clubbing of the nails, cyanosis
What is clubbing of the nails associated with?
Heart and lung disease
COPD
What are two concerns from an anesthesia standpoint for rheumatoid arthritis patients?
- Atlantoaxial instability
- Chronic steroid use will lead to adrenal insufficiency
What do spoon nails indicate?
Anemia
Iron Deficiency
What is a big thing to consider when assessing hair?
Lice
What can Hirsutism be caused by?
Cushing Syndrome
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
Congenital adrenal hyperplasia
Tumors
Meds (Minoxidil)
What things can make the skull asymmetric?
Tumors
Bone Flaps (their skull might be placed in their abdomen while the brain swelling goes down. Kangaroo)
If there is a funny-looking kid, what do you do first?
Assess their parents, because they can be funny looking too.
Be polite