IC16 LRTI Flashcards
What are the possible LRTIs?
bronchitis
pneumonia
What is acute bronchitis?
acute cough that lasts for <3 weeks due to inflammation of the trachea & bronchi
Which pathogen is more likely to cause acute bronchitis?
virus > bacteria
How does acute bronchitis typically come about?
typically preceded by a viral URTI
How do we treat acute bronchitis?
no need treatment as it is self-limiting
When do we use antibiotics for acute bronchitis?
when the patient develops a bacterial superinfection as a complication of the acute bronchitis
How do we counsel a patient with acute bronchitis?
- the cough may last for 3 weeks
- abx is not needed as it will not help you recover from your cough faster
- see a Dr if you develop fever, SOB, chest pain, cough increases in extent/frequency, or significant cough persists >3 weeks
What is pneumonia?
infection of the alveoli due to proliferation of microbial pathogens at the alveolar level
What are the possible pathogens that can cause pneumonia?
bacteria, fungi, virus
Which pathogen is most likely to cause pneumonia?
bacteria
Describe the pathogenesis of pneumonia (how it comes about)
- bacteria enters the lower respiratory tract via 3 mechanisms
- bacteria proliferates in lower respiratory tract and alveoli
- pneumonia
Describe the various pathways that bacteria can enter our lower respiratory tract to cause pneumonia
- aspiration of oropharyngeal secretions (breathe in bacteria from your own oropharyngeal section)
- inhalation of aerosols (inhale droplets that contain the bacteria)
- hematogenous spreading (bacteremia from another distant infection site)
What are the risk factors for pneumonia?
- smoking (suppress neutrophil function + impair MCC + damage lung epithelium)
- chronic lung conditions (eg. asthma, COPD) (destroy lung tissue + creates niduses for bacteria to multiply)
- immune suppression (eg. HIV, sepsis, GC, chemotherapy)
What should we look out for when pneumonia is suspected?
- systemic symptoms
- localised symptoms
- physical exam
- CXR
- lab findings
- urinary antigen tests
What are the systemic symptoms that pneumonia presents with?
- fever
- chills
- malaise
- altered mental status in elderly
- tachycardia
- hypotension
What are the localised symptoms that pneumonia presents with?
- cough*
- chest pain
- SOB
- tachypnea (RR >22)
- hypoxia
- increased sputum production
What does the type of cough that presents with pneumonia tell us?
wet cough - due to Strep pneumoniae
dry cough - due to H influenzae
What results from the physical exam support the diagnosis of pneumonia?
- diminished breath sounds over affected area
- crackles when breathing in
What are the radiographic findings that support the diagnosis of pneumonia?
evidence of NEW infiltrates/dense consolidation in CXR
What are the general lab findings that support the diagnosis of pneumonia?
signs of systemic infection (high WBC, cRP, procalcitonin)
What is urinary antigen test for?
detect presence of strep pneumoniae/legionella pneumophilia
What do the results of the urinary antigen test tell us?
positive for strep pneumoniae/legionella pneumophilia = EXPOSURE to the bacteria
bacteria can be causing pneumonia now OR is from previous infection
When is urinary antigen test recommended for pneumonia?
- severe CAP
- hospitalized patients
What kind of cultures do we need to obtain for pneumonia?
- blood culture
- respiratory culture & gram-stain
(obtain pre-treatment)
What kind of samples should we use for respiratory culture?
lower respiratory tract sample eg. bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL)
What kind of samples should we NOT use for respiratory culture and why?
sputum culture; highly contaminated + low yield
When is pre-treatment blood and respiratory cultures indicated?
- severe CAP
- risk factors for drug resistant pathogens (MRSA & PA)
What are the types of pneumonia?
community acquired (CAP)
hospital acquired (HAP)
ventilator associated (VAP)
What are some non-pharmacological strategies to reduce the risk of contracting CAP?
- smoking cessation
- immunization (influenza, pneumococcal)
What are the possible bacteria causing CAP?
- Strep pneumoniae
- H influenzae
- Atypicals (Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydophila pneumoniae, Legionella pneumophilia)
- Staph aureus
- G(-) bacilli, esp Burkholderia pseudomallei (tropical country)
- MRSA & PA based on risk factors
What are the other pathogens to consider for pneumonia?
- influenza during circulating season (april-june, dec-feb)
- COVID-19 if presents w covid symptoms
What are the tools used for risk stratification of CAP?
- Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI)
- CURB-65
- IDSA/ATS Criteria for Severe CAP
PSI:
1. How many variables does it involve?
2. How many classes of CAP does it use?
3. How/where do we treat patients of the different classes?
- 20 variables
- 5 classes (Class I-V)
- class I-II: outpatient
class III: short hospitalization/observation
class IV-V: inpatient
CURB-65:
1. How many variables does it involve?
2. What are the variables?
3. How many risk classes of CAP does it use?
4. How/where do we treat patients of the different classes?
- 5 variables
[C] Confusion
[U] urea > 7 mmol/L
[R] RR > 30
[B] BP (SBP <90 or DBP ≤60)
[65] Age ≥65 - 3 risk classes
- score 0-1: outpatient
score 2: inpatient
score 3-5: inpatient, consider ICU
(general ward –> high dependency ward –> ICU)
IDSA/ATS Criteria for Severe CAP:
What are the classifications of criteria it uses?
major & minor criteria
What are the major criteria?
- ventilation
- septic shock requiring vasoactive meds
What are the minor criteria? (8)
- RR ≥30
- PaO2/FiO2 ≤250
- multilobar infiltrates
- confusion/disorientation
- uremia (urea >7)
- leukopenia (WBC <4)
- hypothermia (core temp <36)
- hypotension requiring aggressive fluid resuscitation
What is the criteria for severe CAP according to IDSA/ATS Criteria?
at least 1 major criterion
OR
at least 3 minor criteria
What is the sequence/flow of thoughts when deciding how to treat CAP?
- consider severity of CAP & thus site of care
- what are the potential pathogens causing that severity of CAP
- what are the abx to use for empiric therapy
What are the different severities of CAP?
outpatient, no comorbs
outpatient, w comorbs
inpatient, non-severe
inpatient, severe
What are the likely bacteria causing pneumonia under the “outpatient, no comorbs” category?
Strep pneumoniae
What are the first line abx to use for empiric treatment of “outpatient, no comorbs” category of CAP?
Penicillin
- Amoxicillin 1g q8h (highest dose)