Exam 2 - Equine Lower Respiratory Tract Flashcards
what are some important components of your general physical exam for a horse with lower respiratory tract disease?
TPR, MM, CRT, nasal discharge/cough, airway noise, respiratory rhythm/rate/character
what are some important components of your respiratory physical exam for a horse with lower respiratory tract disease?
note any distress/dyspnea, pleurodynia, thoracic excursion, abdominal effort, ventral edema, or exercise intolerance
does guttural pouch empyema usually cause a unilateral or bilateral nasal discharge?
it depends - even if it’s unilateral empyema, it can cross over & cause bilateral nasal discharge
what conditional changes should be considered in a horse with a cough?
indoors vs. outdoors
rest vs. exercise
what is pleurodynia?
pleural pain
what are the clinical signs of pleurodynia?
shallow guarded respiration
anxious facial expression
abducted elbows
stiff forelimb gait
decreased thoracic excursion
grunt/escape maneuver
reluctance to cough
what is required for cyanosis to be present?
at least 5mg deoxygenated hemoglobin per 100 ml of blood - blue mucus membranes
how would you characterize these mucus membranes? is it a sensitive indicator of hypoxemia?
cyanotic
no - not sensitive
what are the topographic boundaries for the lung fields in the horse?
7th ICS - tuber coxae
16th ICS - tuber ischii
13 ICS - middle of the thorax
11 ICS - point of the shoulder
what do you expect to hear over the lung fields of a normal horse at rest?
nothing
what are ‘normal’ lung sounds?
bronchovesicular
what are examples of abnormal lung sounds?
crackles, wheezes, pleural friction rubs, attenuated lung sounds, referred large airway sounds
what do crackles sound like?
short, explosive, discontinuous non-musical sounds
what do wheezes sound like?
continuous musical sounds
what does a pleural friction rub sound like?
continuous or discontinuous, low pitch, mirror-image sound
how are attenuated lung sounds characterized?
silent regions of the lung field
decreased bronchovesicular sounds
can’t be appreciated without a rebreathing bag
what are some differentials of thoracic pathology that result in attenuated lung sounds?
- pleural effusion
- pleural or pulmonary abscess
- pulmonary granuloma
- pleural or pulmonary tumor
- pericardial effusion
- diaphragmatic hernia
- pneumothorax
how are referred large airway sounds characterized?
tracheal and/or mainstem bronchial sounds heard within the lung fields
what are some examples of thoracic pathology that result in referred lung sounds?
- pulmonary consolidation
- pleural or pulmonary abscess
- pulmonary granuloma
- pleural or pulmonary tumor
- pulmonary atelectasis
- pleural effusion
what are some differentials for percussable dullness?
pleural effusion
pleural abscess
pulmonary abscess
pulmonary granuloma
pulmonary consolidation
pleural/pulmonary tumor
pericardial effusion
diaphragmatic hernia
what are some differentials for percussable hyper-resonance?
pneumothorax
emphysematous bullae
enlarged lung fields
diaphragmatic hernia
what is endoscopy used for?
diagnosis of URT abnormalities
look at turbinates
look at pharynx/larynx
arytenoids
what are some diseases that may be seen on pharyngoscopy/laryngoscopy of the pharynx?
- cicatrix
- dorsal displacement of the soft palate
what are some diseases that may be seen on pharyngoscopy/laryngoscopy of the guttural pouch?
- mycosis
- empyema