M104 Alcohol symposia inpatients Flashcards
What does ABCDE stand for?
Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure
What does AVPU stand for?
Alert, Verbal, Pain, Unresponsive
What conditions is diazepam used to treat?
anxiety, alcohol withdrawal symptoms
muscle spasms, seizures
What are examples of alcohol withdrawal symptoms?
sweating, difficulty sleeping
tachycardia, intense anxiety, agitation
nausea, vomiting
shaky hands, seizures, hallucinations
What are the two types of alcohol withdrawal?
planned (in liasion with alcohol services, an arranged for community detox under supervision)
unplanned (when a patient with an unknown alcoholism develops withdrawal symptoms while in hospital admission due to lack of access)
Why is it important to get an alcohol history from all inpatients?
bc if they have an alcohol problem we don’t know about, 2 or 3 days into hospital admission they could develop unplanned alcohol withdrawal symptoms
What questionaires can be used to get an alcohol history from inpatients?
AUDIT
CAGE
What are the CAGE questions?
Have you ever thought you need to Cut down on your consumption?
Has anyone ever Annoyed you by suggesting that you’re drinking too much?
Have you ever felt Guilty about your drinking?
Have you had need to have a drink Early in the morning to prevent withdrawal symptoms?
What percentage of people dependent on alcohol will also have chronic liver disease?
about 20%
What is a key syndrome of alcohol withdrawal?
a delirium
What are the core features of a delerium?
Disturbance of consciousness Change in cognition or a hallucination Tendency to fluctuate Behaviour overactive or underactive Disorganized thinking, poor memory, delusions and mood lability
What is a hallucination otherwise known as?
a perceptual disturbance
With the exception of alcohol withdrawal symptoms, what are other examples that cause derlerium and are associated with drugs?
Drug side effect
Drug overdose
Alcohol intoxication
With the exception of alcohol withdrawal symptoms, what are other examples that cause derlerium and are associated with age?
Any infection (esp. in elderly) Constipation (elderly)
With the exception of alcohol withdrawal symptoms, what are other examples that cause derlerium and are associated with medical conditions?
Hypoxia Wernicke encephalopathy Hypoglycaemia Meningitis / encephalitis Psychiatric illness Head injury Hepatic encephalopathy
What is Fluoxetine otherwise known as?
Prozac
How does Temazepam work?
by slowing down the CNS (brain), causing drowsiness which helps patients fall asleep
What are warnings associated with Temazepam?
it can slow / stop breathing, especially if you have recently used an opioid medication, alcohol, or other drugs that can slow your breathing
What are spider naevi otherwise known as?
spider angiom