PE & Hx Flashcards
Define dyspnea
Uncomfortable, abnormal awareness of breathing (breathless, tachypnic, increased RR tripod )
What are rales when are they heard
Aka crackles - discontinuous sounds made by airways snapping open during inspiration
What are the 2 types of crackles generated by
- Course: lower pitched, from larger airways
- Fine: higher pitched, from smaller airways
Define a wheeze and when it’s heard
- Shrill whistle or course rattle from fluttering vibrations of narrow airways
- both inspiratory and expiratory
Define the two types of wheezes and where the sound comes from
- rhonchi: upper larger airways, low pitch
- wheeze: lower, smaller airways high pitch
Define stridor
High pitch inspiratory sound due to turbulent in airflow the upper airway (worry!)
Define the classifications of a cough by duration
- acute: less than 3 weeks, think infectious vs noninfectious
- subacute: 3-8 weeks, think post-infectious
- chronic: 8+ weeks, think upper airway cough syndrome, asthma, GERD
Describe the blood supply to the lungs
largely from pulmonary arteries with small amount from bronchial arteries
- pulm = low pressure system (R heart)
- bronch = high pressure system (L heart)
Define the ILPPAS acronym for PE (i love pulmonary PAs)
I = inspection
L = listen
P = palpation
P = percussion
A = auscultation
S = special tests
Define tactile fremitus
vibration of the chest wall that results from sound vibrations created by speech/vocal sounds
(air is a poor conductor of lower sounds, solids/dense mediums increase transmission of sounds)
Describe the 3 auscultatory special tests
- broncophony - pt says 99 (muffled in healthy, clear in pathology)
- egophony - pt says Eeee (E in healthy, A in pathology)
- whispered pectoriloquy - pt whispers 1-2-3 (unheard in healthy, clearer in pathology)
Define hemoptysis
expectoration of blood originating from the lower respiratory tract
- frothy/foamy pink/bright red sputum
(pseudohemoptysis = from GI or upper respiratory tract)
