Resp Flashcards
What is obstructive respiratory failure?
Movement of air from outside to the gas exchange system in the alveoli is disrupted.
What is restrictive respiratory failure?
The expansion of the lungs is restricted, so there’s less total volume of the lungs.
What is a patient w/ restrictive RF’s breathing going to be like?
Rapid, shallow breaths, i.e. panting. There’s less tidal volume, so the air is still getting down ther, but to keep up teh gas exchange and make up for the reduced volume you have to breath more frequently.
What is a patient w/ obstructive RF’s breathing going to be like?
Rapid and deep (increased rate and depth of respiration). Cause we’re trying to force the air past the obstruction.
Examples of things that can cause restrictive RF?
Extrapulmonic: Haemothorax, pleural effusion, chylothorax, pneumothorax, diaphragmatic hernia, Intrapulmonic: intersitial oedema, fibrosis, atelectasis- i.e. inside the lungs if the space between the alveoli is full of cells or fluid, reducing the amount they can expand.
Examples of things that can cause obstructive RF?
An obstruction, e.g. neoplasia, foreign body, accumulation of exudates, loss of mechanical rigidity (e.g. tracheal collapse), paresis/paralysis of the larynx.
What is emphysema?
When the lungs lose some of their elastic recoil. Air-filled enlargement. The lungs can’t expand as well as they should. Large, expandible, air-filled spaces which obstruct the flow of gas into and out of the perfused lung, causing obstructive RF.
Name 10 things you might see on a TW or BAL.
- Mucus
- Epithelial cells
- Inflammatory cells
- Haemosiderophages
- Bacteria
- Fungi
- Pollen
- Dust
- Carbon
- Goblet cells
Why would diagnosis of pneumonia be difficult using a BAL?
A bronchoalveolar lavage only collects cells from a very small portion of the lung, and there is no guarantee as to how long the saline was in contact with the wall of the alveoli etc. Basically the pneumonia can be in just one lobe, in one area, and the BAL may not pick it up.
