Pleural Effusion and Pneumothorax Flashcards
What does the visceral pleura cover?
surface of lungs and interlobar fissures
What does the parietal pleura cover?
surface of chest wall
diaphragm
mediastinum
How are the surfaces of the visceral and parietal pleura different?
visceral: the mesothelial cells are loosely arranged but have very tight junctions (bumpy) and they have very dense microvilli
parietal: the mesothelial cells are very tightly arranged but have leaky tight junctions with very sparse microvilli
Describe are the components of the pleura?
mesothelial cells, BM, CT with blood vessels, lymphatics, and nerves
Describe the normal pleural fluid.
Clear, odorless with mostly macrophages (some lymphocytes and few polys)
Its function is to lubricate the pleural surface
What determines the amount of pleural fluid formed?
HP and OP balance
tissue pressure
lymphatic drainage
F = K (HPc-HPpl) - (OPc-OPpl)
Describe how the normal movement of pleural fluid and (include how much in ml/hr)
HP in the parietal pleura > HP in visceral pleura
(HP systemic circulation > HP pulmonary circulation)
this HP gradient drives the movement of fluid from the parietal layer into the pleural space thru mesothelial junctions. The fluid is them absorbed by the visceral pleura
**the oncotic pressure of the parietal and the visceral pleura are = and therefore does not oppose the HP gradient
100 ml/hr fluid formed –> 300 ml/hr fluid absorbed
Lymphatic drainage is present in (parietal or visceral pleura). * Why is this significant???
parietal
To transport cells and protein out of the parietal pleura to maintain low OP and maintain the balance so that fluid moves parietal –> space –> viceral ???? not sure she never really explained this, it is just my reasoning….
What are the 2 types of pleural effusions?
exudates and transudates
high pro and low pro
Increased HP will form (transudate or exudate)
trans
decreased pleural pressure will form (transudate or exudate)
trans
decreased oncotic pressure will form (transudate or exudate)
trans
increased oncotic pressure will form (transudate or exudate)
exudate
CHF will form (transudate or exudate). Why?
transudate bc the pulmonary artery HP > OP which causes the visceral pleura to shift from fluid absorption to fluid production
What are addnl characteristics of pleural effusion due to CHF
bilateral + cardiomegaly
How can malnutrition lead to a pleural effusion?
transudate or exudate
the decrease in plasma OP causes fluid to shift out of capillaries and into the pleural space from both the parietal and visceral sides
*transudate
How can atelectasis cause pleural effusion?
transudate or exudate
the collapse makes the pleural pressure more negative –> causes the HP gradient to become > OP gradient –> fluid formation from both sides
*transudate
How does inflammation cause pleural effusion?
transudate or exudate
inflammation increases vascular permeability –> leakage –> OP gradient decreases –> fluid moves into pleural space from both sides
*Exudate
With a large pleural effusion:
RR (inc or dec)
Chest expansion (inc or dec)
fremitus (inc or dec)
RR increases
Chest expansion decreases
fremitus decreases
What type of effusion will an increase in permeability lead to?
exudative
Why are diminished or absent breath sounds a sign on pleural effusion?
the lung is farther ways from the chest wall
**i thought liquid transmitted sound waves better then air though..?
What is the most common eitiology of pleural effusion?
CHF
What is the most common noncardiac etiology of pleural effusion? 2nd most common?
- neoplastic
2. infectous
What types of neoplasms most commonly cause effusions? Why?
lung and breast
*close proximity to pleura
What are the 2 forces that control the arrangement of free fluid in the pleural space?
- gravity
2. elastic recoil of lung (aka how much it relaxes during expiration)