Pulmonary Flashcards
What is the presentation of asthma?
most often young patients with wheezing and dyspnea often associated with illness, exercise and allergic triggers
-airway inflammation, hyper responsiveness, and reversible airflow obstruction
How is asthma diagnosed?
monitor with peak flow, PFT’s, greater than 12% increase in FEV1 after bronchodilator therapy
- FEV1 to FVC ratio <80% (you would expect the amount of air exhaled during the first second (FEV1) to be the greatest amount
- in asthma, since there is an obstruction (inflammation) you will have a decreased FEV1 and therefore a reduced FEV1 to FVC ratio
What are the treatment guidelines for mild intermittent?
less than 2 times per week or 3-night symptoms per month
-step 1: short-acting beta2 agonist (SABA) prn
What are the treatment guidelines for mild persistent?
more than 2 times per week or 3-4 night symptoms per month
-step 2: low-dose inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) daily
What are the treatment guidelines for moderate persistent?
daily symptoms or more than 1 nightly episode per week
- step 3: low-dose ICS + long acting beta2 agonist (LABA) daily
- step 4: medium-dose ICS + LABA daily
What are the treatment guidelines for severe persistent?
symptoms several times per day and nightly
- step 5: high-dose ICS + LABA daily
- step 6: high-doe ICS + LABA + oral steroids daily
What is acute treatment?
oxygen, nebulized SABA, ipratropium bromide, and oral corticosteroids
Making sense of forced vital capacity
- forced expiratory volume (FEV) measures how much air a person can exhale during a forced breath
- the amount of air exhaled may be measured during the first (FEV1), second (FEV2), and/or third seconds (FEV3) of the forced breath
- forced vital capacity (FVC) is the total amount of air exhaled during the FEV test
- you would expect the amount of air exhaled during the first second to be the greatest amount
- in asthma, since there is an obstruction (inflammation) you will have a decreased FEV1 and therefore a reduced FEV1 to FVC ratio
What is bronchitis?
cough > 5 days with or without sputum production, lasts 2-3 weeks
- chest discomfort
- shortness of breath
- +/- fever
What is the etiology of bronchitis?
viruses (most common)
-cannot distinguish acute bronchitis from URTI in the first few days
Are labs indicated for bronchitis?
labs are not indicated, unless pneumonia suspected (HR> 100, RR>24, T>38, rales, hypoxemia, mental confusion, or systemic illness) = CXR
What is the tx of bronchitis?
antibiotics not recommended - mostly viral
- symptomatic -based treatments NSAIDs, ASA< Tylenol, and/or ipratropium
- cough suppressants - codeine-containing cough meds
- bronchodilators (albuterol)
What is chronic bronchitis?
defined as a chronic cough that is productive of phlegm occurring on most days for 3 months of the year for 2 or more consecutive years without an otherwise-defined acute cause
What are the characteristics of chronic bronchitis?
- excess mucus production narrows airways - productive cough
- scarring and inflammation - enlargement of glands - smooth muscle hyperplasia = obstruction
- blue bloaters (2nd to chronic hypoxia)
- common in smokers (80% of COPD patients)
What are the symptoms of chronic bronchitis?
cough, sputum production, and dyspnea (on exertion or at rest)
- prolonged forced expiratory time (takes longer to get all air out)
- during auscultation: end-expiratory wheezes on forced expiration, decreased breath sounds, inspiratory crackles
- tachypnea, tachycardia
- cyanosis
- use of accessory muscles
- hyperresonance on percussion
- increase pulmonary hypertension with RVH, distended neck veins, hepatomegaly
- signs of corn pulmonate
How is chronic bronchitis diagnosed?
- clinical diagnosis: chronic cough, productive sputum > 3 months, at least 2 consecutive years
- PETs: FEV1/FVC ratio of less than 0.7
- CXR - low sensitivity, useful in an acute exacerbation to r/o pneumonia or pneumothorax
- peribronchial and perivascular markings
- increase HGB and increase HCT are common because of the chronic hypoxic state
- alpha-antitrypsin levels - FH premature emphysema?
- ABG - chronic pCO2 retention, decreased pO2
What is the treatment for chronic bronchitis?
- short-acting bronchodilators for mild disease
- long-acting bronchodilators +/- inhaled corticosteroids for moderate to severe disease
- ipratropium bromide is inhaled of choice for COPD
- smoking cessation and supplemental O2 (O2 is single most important medication in the long term)
- antibiotics for acute exacerbations
- flu and pneumococcal vaccines are a must
- surgery: lung resection vs transplant
What is emphysema?
a consequence of the destruction of alveolar space = pink puffers = the body’s natural response to decrease lung function is chronic hyperventilation
What are the characteristics of emphysema?
- elastase (protease) excess and overinflation (“pink puffers,” barrel chest, pursed lips)
- elastase - released from PMNs and macrophages, ingesting lung tissue (normally inhibited by alpha 1 antitrypsin)
- tobacco smoke - increase PMNs and macrophages, inhibits antitrypsin, and increases oxidative stress on the lung
What are the symptoms of emphysema?
minimal cough, quiet lungs, thin, barrel chest
- acute chest tightness
- worse in the morning
- clear to white sputum
- 50 y/o typical
- dyspnea (MC)
- wheezing
- tachypnea
- dyspnea with mild exertion
- cyanosis
- JVD
- atrophy of limb musculature
- peripheral edema
- “barrel chest” (2:1 anterior: posterior diameter)
- diffuse or focal wheezing
- diminished breath sounds
- hyperresonance to percussion
How is emphysema diagnosed?
pathologic diagnosis: permanent enlargement of airspaces distal to bronchioles due to the destruction of alveolar walls
- decreased DLCO
- PETs (spirometry): diagnostic FEV1/FVC <0.75
- FEV1 decreased
- total lung capacity (TLC), residual volume, FRC increased (indicates air trapping)
- vital capacity decreased - extra air that does come in is not useful - becomes residual volume (dead space)
- chest x-ray will reveal flattened diaphragm , hyperinflation, and small, thin appearing heart
- parenchymal bullae (sub pleural blebs) are pathognomonic
What is the tx of emphysema?
smoking cessation and home O2 are only interventions shown to lower mortality
- give steroids and antibiotics for acute exacerbations: increased sputum production or change in character or worsening SOB
- not responsive to bronchodilators
- IV methylprednisolone if hospitalized
- azithromycin or levofloxacin
- O2 >90%, nasal cannula
- NPPV: BiPAP or CPAP
- can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
- look for nocturnal hypoxemia; give CPAP or O2 as needed
What is the criteria for continuous or intermittent long-term O2?
- pao2 55 mmHg
- O2 saturation <88% (pulse oximetry) either at rest or during exercise
- Pao2 55 59 mm Hg + polycythemia or for pulomale
What are the characteristics of small cell lung cancer?
(15% of cases) (central mass) - 99% smokers, does not respond to surgery and metastases at presentation
- presents as recurrent pneumonia
- constitutional SX (advanced disease): anorexia, weight loss, weakness, cough
- location: central, very aggressive
What is small cell lung cancer associated with?
- superior vena cava syndrome (SCLC): obstruction of SVC by a mediastinal tumor, facial fullness, facial and arm edema, dilated veins over the anterior chest, arms, face; JVD
- phrenic nerve palsy - hemidiaphragmatic paralysis
- recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy - hoarseness
- horner syndrome: invasion of the cervial sympathetic change by apical tumor - unilateral facial anhidrosis (no sweating), ptosis, miosis
- malignant pleural effusion
- Eaton-Lambert syndrome (most common in SCLC): similar to myasthenia gravis (proximal muscle weakness/fatigue, diminished DTRs, paresthesias (lower extremity)
- digital clubbing
How is small cell lung cancer dx?
- CXR is most important for DX, but not used for screening
- CT chest with IV contrast (used for staging)
- tissue biopsy - determine the histology type (definitive)
- cytologic examination of sputum - DX central tumors, not peripheral lesions
- fiber-optic bronchoscopy - DX central tumors, not peripheral lesions PET scan
- transthoracic needle biopsy - suspicious masses, highly accurate for peripheral lesions
- mediastinoscopy - advanced disease
What is the tx of small cell lung cancer?
combination chemotherapy needed
- prognosis: limited: 10-13% 5-y survival
extensive: 1-3% 5-y survival
What are the types of non-small lung cancer?
- squamous cell
- large cell
- adenocarcinoma
What are the characteristics of squamous cell lung cancer?
(central mass) with hemoptysis 25-30% of lung cancer cases -location: central -may cause hemoptysis -paraneoplastic syndrome: hypercalcemia -elevated PTHrp