General Questions Flashcards
How would the airway of a patient with a serious traumatic brain injury be managed? (GCS <8)
Intubated and artificially ventilate
Risk at any time of brain damage leading to loss of respiratory drive so this is prophylactic
(Also likely to require surgery)
A patient has loss of movement on the L side following a traumatic head injury to the R fronto-temporal area, why?
Precentral gyrus (in post frontal lobe) damaged
What is hemiparesis?
Weakness of either L or R side of body
Hemiplegia is most severe form (full paralysis of that side)
What is quadraplegia (aka tetraplegia), paraplegia and quadriparesis?
Loss of motor/ sensory in all 4 limbs and torso
Paraplegia is the same but arms not affected
Quadriparesis is weakness of the above
A patient is about to go in for complex surgery, what types of drugs will be used in the anaesthetic process?
Anaesthetic (rapid induction)- IV Propofol
Maintance: Inhaled isoflurane
Perioperative analgesic- Fentanyl
Muscle relaxant- Atracurium
To reverse: Anticholinesterase (neostigmine with glycopyyrolate)
What are the components of the GCS and what are the minimum/ maximum scores?
Motor response: 1-6pts Verbal response: 1-5pts Eye opening response: 1-4pts 3 is lowest, 15 is highest (13= Mild)
What is the definition of concussion?
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Head injury with temporary loss of function, symptoms usually clear within 3 weeks
Impact so great it couldn’t be cushioned by CSF
What is a depressed skull fracture?
From blunt force trauma to head (e.g. hammer or kick), often also compound and comminuted, if dura mater also torn high infection risk. High risk of post traumatic epilepsy
What is a linear skull fracture?
Transverses full thickness of skull but no displacement, often from blunt force trauma where energy spread over a wide region. Can often be left untreated
What is a diastatic skull fracture?
Fracture line transverses skull suture causing widening of suture. Most commonly seen under 3 years although lambdoid suture doesn’t close until age 60
What is a basilar skull fracture?
Fracture to the base of skull (cranial vault). Often blood in sinuses and CSF running out of nose or ears
What is the babinski sign and what does it indicate?
Dorsiflexion when you stroke the lateral sole of the foot (heel to toe)- normal response is plantarflexion.
Dorsiflexion (babinski sign) indicates UMN lesion
What are osteophytes?
Bone spurs (projections) which form on joint margins, using following repair process post (arthritis, fracture etc). Can cause pain (if nerves impinged) and restricted movement
Name the diagnostic criteria for a dependence syndrome?
3 of:
Compulsion to take, tolerance, physical withdrawal sympt, can’t control use, neglect other interests, persistence despite side effects
How do cocaine, alcohol, opiates and nicotine increased dopamine levels?
Cocaine: Blocks 5-HT reuptake transporter
Alcohol + Opiates: Inhibit GABA (which causes less inhibition of dopaminergic neurons)
Nicotine: Decreases MOA enzyme activity
What is the effect of age on the composition of the inter vertebral discs?
Age results in disc water loss so easier cracking (herniated discs account for 90% of sciatica cases)
What is a visually evoked potentials test?
Electrode placed 2.5cm below inion (inf occipital lobe) and stimulus shown. Delay between stimulus (usually bars) and evoked response can show diseases such as optic neuritis (early sign of MS)
What % of women have postnatal depression?
10-20%
Usually within 2-8 weeks post birth
What difference would be seen on a CT scan between an extradural and a subdural haematoma, what causes each?
Extradural- Convex shape, caused by meningeal arterial blood between skull and endosteal dura
Subdural- Concave shape on scan, caused by leaking of venous blood (from cerebral veins going to dural venous sinus’)
What is glue ear?
Otitis media with effusion
Often caused by eustachian tube blocking (often secondary to adenoid infection)
Treat with grommits if <3mth or reoccurring problem
What are the most common causes of tonsilitis?
Viral: adenovirus, rhinovirus, influenza If bacterial (no cough, white spots, fever, swollen LN's) then probably streptococcus
What is dysarthria?
Speech disorder caused by disturbance of muscular control, slurred, stacato, dysrythmic voice. Caused by disruption of UMN (in hemispheres or brain stem- stroke). Treat with SLT to improve muscle tone
What is the MRC scale for muscle power assesment?
0- No movement 1- Flicker 2- Movement if gravity eliminated 3- Moves against gravity 4- Moves against gravity and light resistance 5- Normal
What are maximum and minimum NIH stroke scale scores?
0- No symptoms 1-4: Minor stroke 5-15: Moderate stroke 16-20: Mod/Severe stroke 21-42: Severe stroke
What is 1 unit of alcohol equivalent to? How do you work out units per drink?
What are the unit weekly guidelines?
10ml of pure ethanol
Strength (ABV) x Volume (ml) /1000 = no units
Weekly: M-21pw F-14pw
What vitamin deficiency causes degeneration of the cerebral cortex, what group of patients is it common in?
Thiamine (Vit B1)
Alcoholics
What is osteomyelitis?
Infection of bone (usually bacterial)
A patient has fractured the neck of their femur, which artery is most likely to be ruptured?
Medial circumflex branch of femoral
Supplies head and neck of femur
What is the most common complication of chronic pancreatitis?
Pancreatic pseudocyst (risk of rupture, bleed or infection)
You are reviewing an x-ray and see a break in the ulna shaft across the long axis of the bone, what do you diagnose?
Transverse fracture (Break across shaft of long bone)
A patient presents following a fall on which they landed on their feet, with severe pain in their back, you x-ray the spine to find what type of fracture of one of the vertebrae?
Compression fracture
(Only seen in vertebrae)- Subject to extreme stresses
You are reviewing an x-ray of a patient who twisted a leg whilst landing on it and see a break in the shaft of the tibia, diagonally going down across the long axis of the bone, what do you diagnose?
Spiral fracture
Produced by twisting stresses
You are reviewing an x-ray and see fragments of bone from the shaft of the femur in the soft tissue, what do you diagnose?
Comminuted fracture
Bone has shattered
A child presents after falling on their wrist, you x-ray the wrist to find a fracture on one side of the radial shaft and a bending on the other side, what kind of fracture is this?
Greenstick fracture
Radius where one side is broke, the other is bent
A child presents after falling on their wrist, you x-ray the wrist to find a fracture at the end of the radial shaft, what kind of fracture is this?
Colles fracture
Break in the distal portion of the radius
A patient presents after being tackled playing football. An x-ray reveals breaks at the ankle, with both the tibia and fibula broken, this is likely to be what type of fracture?
A pott’s fracture
At ankle, involves both bones of the leg
What is most likely to happen with venous vs arterial thrombi?
Venous- goes to lungs and cause PE
Arterial- Go to organs, causes MI, stroke etc
A 30yoF presents with his first seizure. What are the most likely underlying causes which must be checked for?
Brain lesion (>50% first time seizures) Eclampsia (check Preg status)