L6-7: ACTs Flashcards
What do coarse crackles VS fine crackles indicate?
Coarse crackles: Secretions
Fine crackles: Atelectasis
What are the abbreviations for terms?
Why do we care about ACTs?
- Airway clearance is a vital skill in Physio toolkit
- Aim = Identify secretion over-production / retention problems –> select and implement most appropriate technique/s for individual
- Ax outcome and modify Rx as needed
What are the 2 main mechanisms of normal airway clearance?
- Mucociliary clearance (MCC)
- Effective cough (as a backup for impaired MCC)
Further secretions causing complications (mircrobes)
- Eg. pneumonia
What does the flow of impaired airway clearance?
What are 3 characteristics of mucociliary escalator?
What are the 2 main mechanisms of impaired airway clearance?
- Impaired mucociliary clearance
- Ineffective cough
What are the 10 factors for reducing temporary muscociliar clearance?
↓ cilial beating
- Medications (eg, GA, narcotics)
- Drying of mucosa, dehydration (mucous = 95% H2O)
- High inspired O2 concentration (FiO2)
- Positive Pressure Ventilation
- Endotracheal intubation
- Atelectasis, ↓ lung volumes
- ↓ Cough effectiveness
- Lack of sleep
- Pollutants
What are the 2 factors for reducing permanent muscociliar clearance?
- Smoking
- Disease states (eg. CF, bronchiectasis)
What are the 2 factors for reducing muscociliar clearance?
- ↓ Cilial beating
- ↑ Secretion volume / thickness
- (eg: CF, bronchiectasis, infection, dehydration)
What ae the effects of increased secretions?
Healthy lung = 100ml mucous / day
Aim of ACTs: clear excess / retained secretions to reduce these effects (Achieving one or all of these steps)
- Presence of secretions = normal
- Excess/retained secretions = abnormal
- Get air behind secretions
- Secretion MOBILISATION
- Secretion REMOVAL
What are 4 effects of congested airway?
- ↑ Cilial function
- ↑ WOB fatigue
- ↓ Ventilation, ↓ V/Q ratio, ↓ PaO2
- • Long term damage / scarring
Congested airway = narrow orifices
What is important when checking sputum?
Quality and quantity of sputum
Infection control (tissue, clean hands, cup, PPE- gloves, goggles, gown)
What are 9 ACTs in the tool kit?
- Cough (Supported + Assisted)
- Active Cycle of Breathing Technique (ACBT)
- Positive Expiratory Pressure (PEP)
- Autogenic Drainage (AD)
- Postural Drainage (PD, MPD)
- Percussion and Vibration (P & V)
- Inhalation therapy
- Exercise therapy
- Suction
What is a cough?
- Protective reflex ridding airway of secretions / foreign bodies
- 1st 6 generations cleared by cough
1st ______ generations cleared by cough
6
Mobilise more peripherally to top 6 generations => cough
What are 7 components of cough?
- ↑ Inspiratory volume
- Closure of glottis
- ↑ ITP
- Abdominal muscle contraction
- ↑ IAP and ITP against a closed glottis
- Opening of glottis
- Ascent of diaphragm
- Forceful expulsion of air and / or secretions / foreign bodies
What are 6 causes of decreased lung volume for what can go wrong in a cough?
- Pain
- Restriction
- Obstruction
- Fear / anxiety
- Muscle weakness
- Neurological impairment
What is the solution for decreased lung volume for what can go wrong in a cough?
Methods of improving lung volume
- Pain, positioning (upright), TEE, collateral ventilation, alveolar interdependence, allow different time constants,
What are 4 causes of decreased expiratory force for what can go wrong in a cough?
- Pain (eg, incision)
- Muscle weakness
- Poor elastic recoil (eg, Emphysema)
- Inability to close glottis (eg, Bulbar Palsy)
What are 4 solutions of decreased expiratory force for what can go wrong in a cough?
Augment the expiratory phase
- Supported cough (pillow, towel, binder)
- Assisted cough (bibasal, AP sternal)
- Substernal angle compression
- Subcostal thrust
When should you use a assisted cough VS supported cough?
Supported cough = pain is present (eg. surgery)
Assisted cough = weakness is present
What are 3 features of a supported cough?
- ↑ IAP with support
- ↓ Tension on the wound during contraction
- ↑ ROM through which the muscle contracts
↑ Force –> ↑ Effectiveness of cough
What is the aim of an assisted cough?
Assist generation of explosive force
What are the 4 features of an assisted cough?
-
Bibasal compression if compliant chest + flaring
- Augment bucket handle
-
AP sternal compression if apical movement
- Augment pump handle
- Substernal angle compression can assist diaphragm ascent
- Subcostal thrust used for people with SCI (when unable to contract abdominals to generate force)
Weakness (become the patient’s muscles)
What is bibasal compression in an assisted cough?
Bibasal compression if compliant chest + flaring
- Augment bucket handle
What is AP sternal compression in an assisted cough?
AP sternal compression if apical movement
- Augment pump handle
What is substernal angle compression in an assisted cough?
Substernal angle compression can assist diaphragm ascent
What is subcostal thrust in an assisted cough?
Subcostal thrust used for people with SCI (when unable to contract abdominals to generate force)
What are 3 other techniques for a cough?
- Tracheal rub
- Stimulated cough
- Mechanical insufflator/exsufflator devices (CoughAssistTM machine)
What are the 6 adverse effects of vigorous/chronic coughing?
- Cardiovascular
- Genitourinary
- Gastrointestinal
- Musculoskeletal
- Neurological
- Respiratory
What are 3 summaries of cough?
- Natural defence mechanism to clear secretions
- May be compromised –> retained secretions
- Use techniques
- May be too vigorous / chronic –> adverse effects
What are 2 ways to increase cough effectiveness?
- ↑ Inspiratory volume
- ↑ Expiratory force:
- Supported cough
- Pain/soreness (ribs or abdomen)
- Assisted cough
- Weakness
- Substernal angle compression
- Subcostal thrust
- Supported cough
What are 2 aims of Active Cycle of Breathing Technique (ACBT)?
- Mobilises & clears excess secretions
- Improves lung function
What are 6 advantages of Active Cycle of Breathing Technique (ACBT)?
- Flexible –> adapt to suit individual
- Use with a variety of patients
- Well-tolerated
- Use in any position
- Combine with other Rx
- Can be performed independently
What are the components of ACBT?
What are 7 characteristics of breathing control (BC) as a componenent of ACBT?
- Gentle tidal breathing
- Emphasise lower chest, not upper chest
- –> Minimal effort expended
- Inspire through nose to warm, humidify and cleanse air (but through mouth if nose is blocked)
- Intersperse throughout other techniques for recovery & to prevent airflow obstruction
- Duration of BC depends on pt’s presentation
- 2-3 breaths, up to minutes++
What are 7 characteristics of throacic expansion exercises (TEE) as a componenent of ACBT?
- Slow, Laminar flow
- +/- Inspiratory Hold (~3sec)
- +/- ‘sniff’ manoeuvre
- Emphasis on inspiration
- Encourage lower chest expansion (can use proprioceptive stimulation)
- 3-4 TEE, then BC (>5 TEE may –> hyperventilation/ light headed / fatigue)
- *Can be used during P & V to ↓ hypoxaemia
What are 2 aims of thoracic expansion exercises (TEE) as a componenent of ACBT?
- ↑ Lung volume
- Collateral Ventilation:
- Air behind secretions
- Mobilise secretions
- Collateral Ventilation:
- Re-expand lung
- Alveolar Interdependence
- Surfactant release
- Newtonian’s Law of Viscosity- (sticky surfaces –> better when slow)
- Allows for different time constants
What is collateral ventilation of thoracic expansion exercises (TEE) as a componenent of ACBT?