Perioperative and Critical Care Flashcards
Respiratory failure
= PaO2 < 8kPa
Type 1 - Hypoxia with normal or low PaCO2
Type 2 - Hypoxia with hypercapnia (PaCO2 > 6kPa)
Causes of type 1 respiratory failure
- Ventilation/perfusion mismatch – pneumonia, pulmonary oedema, PE, asthma, emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis, ARDS
- Hypoventilation
- Abnormal perfusion
- Right -> left cardiac shunts
Management of type 1 respiratory failure
- Treat underlying cause
- Give oxygen by facemask (up to 60%)
- Assisted ventilation if still low O2 despite 60% O2
Causes of type 2 respiratory failure
- Pulmonary disease – COPD, asthma, pneumonia, end-stage pulmonary fibrosis, obstructive sleep apnoea
- Reduced respiratory drive – sedative drugs, CNS tumour or trauma
- Neuromuscular disease – poliomyelitis, myasthenia gravis, Guillain-Barre syndrome
- Thoracic wall disease – flail chest, kyphoscoliosis
Management of type 2 respiratory failure
- Treat underlying cause
- Controlled O2 therapy, starting at 24%, then recheck ABG and gradually increase as long as PaCO2 stays steady or lowers
- Consider assisted ventilation if rising hypercapnia and hypoxia
Indications for ABG
- Unexpected deterioration in ill patient
- Any acute exacerbation of chronic chest condition
- Any impaired consciousness or impaired respiratory effort
- Signs of CO2 retention (bounding pulse, drowsiness, flapping tremor, headache)
- Signs of hypoxia (cyanosis, confusion, visual hallucinations)
- To validate measurements from transcutaneous pulse oximetry
ABG interpretation
- pH acidosis or alkalosis?
- pCO2 high or low? does this fit with pH - if yes then respiratory problem
- HCO3 high or low? does this fit with pH - if yes then metabolic problem
- pO2 normal given FiO2?
- any compensation? partial or complete?
- anion gap, normal 10-18 = (Na+ + K+) - (Cl- + HCO3-)
Increased anion gap
Metabolic acidosis and increased anion gap
- due to increased production or reduced excretion of fixed/organic acids
- lactic acid (shock, infection, tissue ischaemia)
- urate (renal failure)
- ketones (DM, alcohol)
- drugs/toxins
Normal anion gap
Metabolic acidosis and normal anion gap
- due to loss of bicarbonate or ingestion of H+ ions
- renal tubular acidosis
- diarrhoea
- drugs
- addison’s disease
- pancreatic fistula
- ammonium chloride ingestion
Metabolic alkalosis
High pH, high HCO3-
- vomiting
- K+ depletion (diuretics)
- burns
- ingestion of base
Shock
= circulatory failure resulting in inadequate organ perfusion
= low BP, systolic <90 or MAP <65, and evidence of tissue hypoperfusion (mottled skin, low urine output, serum lactate >2, low GCS, pallor, cool peripheries, tachycardia, slow cap refill, tachypnoea, oliguria)
- BP = CO x SVR (so two causes of shock)
Shock - inadequate cardiac output
Hypovolaemia
- bleeding
- fluid loss (vomiting, burns, ‘third space loss’)
Pump failure (cardiogenic)
- cardiogenic shock (ACS, arrhythmias, aortic dissection, acute valve failure)
- secondary causes (PE, tension pneumothorax, cardiac tamponade)
Shock - peripheral circulatory failure
Sepsis (acute vasodilation from inflammatory cytokines - may be warm and vasodilated after fluid therapy, or cold and shut down before)
Anaphylaxis
Neurogenic (spinal cord injury, spinal anaesthesia)
Endocrine failure (Addison’s, hypothyroidism)
Drugs (anaesthetics, antihypertensives)
Management of shock
If BP unrecordable call cardiac arrest team.
Septic shock - abx, fluids (500ml boluses of crystalloids eg 0.9% saline), oxygen, critical care review
Anaphylaxis - secure airway, 100% O2 given, IM adrenaline every 5 mins, IV access for chloramphenamine and hydrocortisone
Cardiogenic - O2 titrate to normal, diamorphine IV, investigations and monitoring - correct arrhythmias/U+E abnormalities/acid-base disturbance, optimise filling pressure with either plasma expander or inotropic support
Hypovolaemic - raise legs, IV fluid bolus crystalloid, titrate to HR BP UO
Haemorrhagic - stop bleeding! 2L crystalloid, crossmatch blood, FFP with red cells
Sepsis
= life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection
Moderate-high risk if…
- altered mental status
- raised resp rate
- low BP
- low urine output
- signs of infection
- rigors or temp <36
- impaired immunity
- recent surgery/trauma
- mottled/ashen/cyanotic skin, non-blanching rash
- -> sepsis 6!
Assessing fluid balance - underfilled
- tachycardia
- postural drop in bp (low bp is late sign)
- reduced cap refill
- reduced urine output
- cool peripheries
- dry mucous membranes
- reduced skin turgor
- sunken eyes
Assessing fluid balance - overfilled
- raised JVP
- pitting oedema of sacrum, ankles, legs/abdomen if severe
- tachypnoea
- bibasal crepitations
- pulmonary oedema on CXR