Pleural disease Flashcards
Define a tension pneumothorax
Haemodynamically unstable pneumothorax
Air can’t escape the pleural space
Causes of secondary pneumothorax
Asthma, COPD, Pneumonia, TB, Sarcoidosis, Fibrosis, Lung abscess, Lung cancer, Cystic fibrosis
Risk factors for primary pneumothorax
Smoking, Cannabis use, Diving, Height, Marfan’s, Ehler-Danlos
Symptoms of pneumothorax
Sharp chest pain, sudden SoB
Signs of pneumothorax
Decreased expansion, Hyper-resonance, Decreased breath sounds
Signs of a tension pneumothorax
Deviated trachea
Investigations for pneumothorax
CXR
CXR findings in a pneumothorax
Dark area, Loss of lung markings
Management of a stable pneumothorax
Conservative: Observation
Surgical: Asiprate, Chest drain
Management of a tension pneumothorax
Insert a large bore cannula into the 2nd intercostal space, mid-clavicular line
Use a syringe to form a water seal
Causes of a pleural transudate
Heart failure, Cirrhosis, Nephrotic syndrome, Malnutrition, Vasculitis
Cause of a pleural exudate
Malignancy, TB, Pneumonia, RA, SLE
Symptoms of a pleural effusion
Chest pain, SoB
Signs of pleural effusion
Decreased expansion, Decreased breath sounds, Dull percussion
Light criteria
Pleural protein to serum > 0.5
Pleural LDH to serum > 0.6
Pleural LDH >2/3 of upper serum limit
