Resp Flashcards
classical sx of pneumonia
- Fever, rigors, sweating
- Malaise
- Cough
- Sputum (yellow, green, rusty in S pneumoniae)
- Breathlessness
- Pleuritic chest pain
- Confusion (severe cases, elderly, legionella)
atypical pneumonia presentation
headache, mnyalgia, diarrhea, abdominal pain
signs of pneumonia
- Pyrexia
- Tachypnoea, tachycardia
- Hypotension
- Cyanosis
- Decreased chest expansion, dullness to percussion, increased vocal fremitus, bronchial breathing (inspiration phase length = expiration phase length), coarse crepitations on affected side
Ix for suspected pneumonia
Bedside: flu swab, covid swab
Sputum culture
Consider urine culture– for pneumonoccus and legionella antigens
Bloods
o FBC (abnormal WCC)
o U&E (low Na+ esp with Legionella)
o LFT
o Blood culture
o ABG (assess pulmonary function)
o Blood film (RBC agglutination by mycoplasma caused by cold agglutinins)
CXR – lobar or patchy shadowing, pleural effusion, repeat 6-8 weeks later if abnormal, suspect underlying pathology e.g. lung cancer.
Atypical viral serology (increase antibody titers between acute and convalescent samples)
Bronchoscopy and broncheolaveolar lavage if pneumonia fails to resolve or clinically progresses
What score do you use to assess for pneumonia and explain it
CURB 65
Confusion (AMTS <=8)
Urea >7
Resp rate >30
BP <90/60
65 years old or older
How do you manage pts based on CURB 65
Score of 1: Home abx
Score of 2: admission abx
Score >=3= ITU
What antibiotics do you give as examples for pneumonia? (ALWAYS FOLLOW HOSPITAL GUIDELINES)
mild: amoxicillin
Severe: co-amoxiclav + clarythromycin
What defines a HAP
Occurrence >48 hours from hospital admission
How do you manage a HAP
Non-severe: Co-amox or doxy
Severe: Piptazobactam
ALWAYS FOLLOW LOCAL GUIDELINES
what other management other than abx (long term) is important in pneumonia
Prevention is important in vulnerable groups (e.g. elderly, spenectomized) – give prophylactic pneumococcal or H influenzae type B vaccination.
What is a pleural effusion
buildup of fluid in pleural space
what are sx of a pleural effusion
dyspnoea
cough
pleuritic chest pain
what are the two kinds of pleural effusion you can get
and what criteria do you use to assess
TRANSUDATE V EXHUDATE
LIGHT CRITERIA
Explain the difference in protein in TRANSUDATE vs EXHUDATE
TRANSUDATE = low protein (<30g)
EXHUDATE = high protein (>30g) (= EGG)
What are causes of transudate in pleural effusion
Due to factorsa that alter hydrostatic preessure / pleural permeability / oncotic pressure
e.g. CCF, cirrhosis, nephrotic syndrome
What are causes of exhudate in pleural effusion
Due to change in local facotrs that influence the formation and absorption of pleural fluid
e.g. Infection (pneumonia, lung empyema)
PE
Trauma
Pancreatitis
Malignancy
What are ix for suspected pleural effusion
Exam, obs, urine dip for protein
Baseline bloods esp LFT, CRP, clotting, blood culture
CXR (shows costophrenic blunting) > then considercontrast CT (if exhudative cause) or echo (CCF)
USS guided pleural aspiration and chest draWin
Why aree you doing a USS guided pleural aspiration
to get details on the sample
e.g. MC&S, cytology, pH, LDH, glucose, protein, TB, amylase, Hb
What do you do if the aspirate from the pleural effusion is turbid, tests positive on MCS or has pH <7.2?
Insert Chest DRAIN
Then treat underlying cause
What is percussion like in PLEURAL EFFUSIOON
STONY DULL
What is vocal fremitus like in PLEURAL EFFUSION
Reduced
What is lung ascultation like in PLEURAL EFFUSION
Reeduced
why do you get RBBB in a PE
due to increased strain on the right side of the heart
what else must you do in unprovoked PE patient while after starting on DOAC
try to find CAUSE
what is COPD
chronic bronchitis + emphysema
What are investiigations for COPD
Bedside: sputum sample (for iinfective exacerb), SPIROMETRY (gold standard)
Bloods: baseline bloods (incl FBC for secondary polycythaemia), CRP, ABG, BNP
Imaging: CXR, HR-CT
consider ECG, echo (cor pulmonale)
consider alpha1 antitrypsin levels if young / non smoker
What is conservative management of long-term COPD
smoking cessation
mucolytics
vaccines
consider prophylactic azithromycin
when do you give prophylactic azithromycin in COPD
250mg TDS if
- non smoker
- optimised medical mx
- referred pulm rehab
- x4 infective exacerbations per year AND at least one hospitalisation per year
what is medical COPD mx
1, SAMA or SABA, PRN
2. LABA + (LAMA or inhaled corticosteroids (if asthmatic features))
3. LABA + LAMA + ICS
4. senior input e3.g. theophylline
when would you give inhaled corticosteroids vs LAMA in COPD mx
corticosteroids if asthmatic featurres (e.g. oesinophilia, history of atopic conditions, which make them more lkely to be steroid responsive )
what are the two key components of asthma
airway hypersensitivity
reversible airway obstruction
investigations of asthma
spirometry
FeNO (marker of airway inflammation)
Peak flow variability (getting them to keep an peak flow diary)
long term asthm management
- SABA
- SABA + ICS
- SABA + ICS + LTRA
- SABA + ICS + LTRA + LABA
- SABA + “ICS+LABA” + LTRA
WHat is ICS+LABA
MART THERAPY
both reliever and prophylactic
i.e. take in morning and evening every day, but also iif you get acutely out of breath
example of SABA
salbulamol
Beta 2 agonist
example of SAMA
itratropium
muscarinic antagonist
example of LAMA
tiotropium
example of LABA
salmeterol
what does atypical pneumonia mean
one that does not present with typical symptoms
how do you manage a typical CAP
Amoxicillin (mild)
Co-amoxiclv (severe)
often also add clarythromycin if atypical pneumonia cannot be excluded
what are the top thjree most common typical CAPS
S pneumonia
H influenza
M catarrhalis
How does S pneumonia typically present
rusty sputum
lobar pattern
reactivated HSV
how does H influenza present
pre-existing lung disease e.g. COPD
bronchoalveolar pattern, affecting lower lobes mainly
how does Klebsiella pneumoniae present present
redcurrant jelly sputum
alcoholism
DM
elderly
haemoptysis
How do you treat an atypical pneumonia
clarythromycin
or doxycycline
what are common pathogens that cause atypical pneumonia
Legionella pneumophilia (air conditioners, hyponatraemia, urinary antigen)
Chlamydia pneumoniae (children)
Chlamydia psittaci (birds, haemolytic anaemia)
what are common HAPs and what timeline do they occur in
Strep pneumonia (48h-4 days)
Enterobacteria, S aureus, Pseudomonas (>4 days)
how do you treat HAP
mild: co-amox or doxy
severe: piptazobactam
What are TB tests you can do
IGRA (no cross reaction with BCG)
TST (cross reacts with BCG)
Sputum smear x3 > NAAT (also Ziehl Neelsen stain)
Sputum culture is gold standard
when is auramine staining used for TB
for screening