Resp Flashcards
What are the different divisions of a pleural effusion? (6)
Plural effusion is fluid within the plural space
- Transudates - protein < 25g/L
- Exudates - protein > 35g/L
- Haemothorax = blood in pleural space
- Chylothorax = lymph with fat in pleural space
- Empyema = pus in the pleural space (pH < 7.2)
- Haemopneumothorax = both blood and air in pleural space
What causes a transudative pleural effusion?
TRANSUDATIVE EFFUSION -Increase in venous pressure causing increased hydrostatic pressure (FLUID shifts into pleural space) -Causes: •Cardiac failure •Constrictive pericarditis
Hypoproteinaemia causing reduced oncotic pressure
- Liver cirrhosis
- Nephrotic syndrome
- Malabsorption
- CKD (abnormal leak of protein)
Others
- Hypothyroidism
- Meig’s syndrome - ascites, pleural effusion, BENIGN ovarian tumour
What causes an exudative effusion?
EXUDATIVE EFFUSION
-Caused by INFLAMMATION> causes PROTEIN to leak out of the tissues into the pleural space
-Causes of inflammation:
•Infection (TB/pneumonia)
•Malignancy (bronchial ca/lymphoma/mesothelioma) U/L!
•Inflammation (Rheumatoid arthritis/SLE/pancreatitis)
•Infarction (PE)
How does a pleural effusion present? (symptoms)
PLUERAL EFFUSION
Small pleural effusions (<300ml) are often asymptomatic
OR
- Dyspnoea SOB
- Pleuritic chest pain
What signs do you get in pleural effusion? (general exam/palpation/percussion/auscultation)
PLUERAL EFFUSION O/E
General
-May have signs of underlying disease (weight loss/clubbing/CLD stigmata/RA/hypothyroidism/butterfly rash
Palpation
- Decreased expansion
- Decreased tactile vocal fremitus
- if MASSIVE- trachial deviation AWAY from effusion (> 1L)
Percussion
- Stony dull percussion note
Auscultation
- Diminished breath sounds
- Decreased vocal resonance
- Bronchial breathing above the effusion where lung is compressed
What can be seen on a chest x-ray in pleural effusion?
PLEURAL EFFUSION
- Blunting of costophrenic angles - 200ml of fluid required to be seen
- Meniscus-shaped margin
- Fluid in pleural fissure
Large effusion (>1L)
- Complete opacification of the lung
- Mediastinal/ tracheal shift AWAY from effusion
What is used to diagnose pleural effusion?
How do you do it?
Diagnotic thoracentesis/pleurocentesis
-Percuss upper border of pleural effusion and choose a site 1 or 2 intercostal spaces below it
What cytology results would indicate what in pleural fluid analysis? (neutrophils/lymphocytes/mesothelial cells, abnormal mesothelial cells/giant multinucleated cells)
Neutrophils ++
- Pneumonia
- PE
Lymphocytes ++
- Malignancy
- TB
- RA, SLE, sarcoidosis
Mesothelial cells ++
- Pulmonary infarction
Abnormal mesothelial cells
-Mesothelioma
Giant multinucleated cells
- RA
What would raised amylase suggest in thoracentesis ?
Raised amylase in thoracentesis: pancreatitis or osophageal rupture (could also mean carcinoma or bacterial pneumonia)
What is calculated if the protein content of the effusion is equivocal (25-35g/L)? What levels are indicative of which type of pleural effusion?
Calculate Light’s Criteria (need to take bloods for serum glucose and total protein)
Transudative… (low protein, low LDH)
• Pleural fluid protein: serum protein ration < 0.5
• Pleural fluid LDH: serum LDH ratio < 0.6
• Pleural fluid LDH < 2/3 the upper limit of normal serum LDH
Exudative… (high protein, high LDH)
• Pleural fluid protein: serum protein ration > 0.5
• Pleural fluid LDH: serum LDH ratio > 0.6
• Pleural fluid LDH > 2/3 the upper limit of normal serum LDH
What is the management of pleural effusion?
Management of Plueral effusion
- manage the underlying cause
- Drainage (aspiration or chest drain)
What would you expect to see in an empyema? (Ph, LDH, glucose)
How do you treat an empyema?
Empyema
- pH LOW
- LDH high
- glucose LOW (being used up by bacteria)
Treatment: chest drain under USS guidance and antibiotics
What investigation should you do fit pleural fluid analysis is inconclusive?
PLEUARL EFFUSION
-Do a percutaneous Pleural biopsy – if fluid analysis is inconclusive
What are complications of a chest drain?
Chest drain
- can cause PULMONARY ODEMA - drain slowly (0.5-1.5L/24hrs)
- never drain >1.5 litres
Treatment for recurrent pleural effusions?
Treatment for repeated pleural effusions
-Pleurodesis- stick visceral and parietal layers together
(with tetracycline, Bleomycin or sterile talc)
What causes pleural mesothelioma?
Asbestos exposure
What are the most common symptoms of pleural mesothelioma?
Investigation?
Shortness of breath Chest pain (non-pleuritic)
Thoracoscopy biopsy with stained biopsy - mesothelioma cells and psammoma bodies (looks like an onion)
In which patients does TB commonly occur? (4)
- FOREIGN TRAVEL
- HIV/immunocompromised
- In those with an infective contact (always ask about infection in home contacts, this is most common cause for chilldren)
How do we manage contact preventing in cases of TB?
TB contact prevention
- PHE should be informed
- BCG should be offered to all high risk individuals at birth
- DO NOT give BCG to HIV+ or other individuals at risk of immune compromise due to risk of dissemination
- ALWAYS SCREEN FAMILY MEMBERS
After the initial inhalation of TB aerosol, what happens then? (2 options)
TB inhalation
- ~70% clear the infection
- ~30% get primary TB (classified by GOHNS focus)
People with primary TB, what happens then?
Primary TB
1. Effective T cell mediated response> latent TB
-cough subsides
-can get reactivated (most common cause of active TB)
-e.g. cancer or immunosuppressants
2. Non effective responce>Primary progressive TB
(linked with inadequate T cell immunity, e.g. HIV)
What are the possible symptoms of TB?
- pulmonary
- CNS
- Cardiac
- GU
- Bones/joints
- Skin
- General
TB symptoms -Pulmonary •cough •heamoptysis •breathlessness (can cause atelectasis, bronchiectasis, pulmonary effusion) •chest pain (pleuritic)
-CNS
•headache
•altered mental state
•cranial nerve palsy
-Cardiac
•effusions/pericarditis
-Genito-urinary system •Sterile pyuria •Kidney pathologies •Abscesses •Salpingitis and infertiltiy •Epididymo-orchitis
-Bones and joints
•back most common (Potts disease)
-Skin
•Lupus vulgarise (painful face nodule)
General: Lymphadenopathy, fever, weight loss, anorexia, fatigue, night sweats
What investigations would you do for TB?
ACTIVE TB INVESTIGATIONS
1. CXR is initial investigation (upper lobes affected)
2. Sputum Microscopy and culture
•3 early morning sputum samples
• Do a bronchial lavage sample via bronchoscopy if cant get sample (child)
Microscopy
-Ziehl-Neelsen stained looking for ACID FAST BACILLI
Culture
-Takes WEEKS (Lowenstein- Jensen media)
- Can also do PCR (see if resistant)
- Can also do biopsy and histology
What test screen people at HIGH RISK for TB (and contact tracing)?
What is a positive result, what does this mean?
Which people should you give the BCG vaccine?
Mantoux tuberculin skin test (latent TB)
- Injection of antigen>type 4 hypersensitivity reaction
- 5mm+ is a positive result if risk factors
- 15mm+ is a positive result if no risk factors
- This means they have either had a BCG before or had previous infection (latent TB)
If they have a negetive test, give the BCG vaccine
When would you get false negatives of mantoux test?
False negatives of mantoux test
- weakened immune system (cant react)
- really recent TB infection (within 10 weeks)
What TB test is NOT affected by previous infection?
What does a positive test mean?
Interferon-Gamma Release Assays (latent TB)
- take blood, give blood antigen, look for IGR
- Positive test indicates immune system has prior recognition of TB antigens (latent TB)
What area of the lung does TB normally affect?
TB affects upper lobe
What is milary TB?
What patients are most likely to get milary TB?
Milary TB
- widespread disseminated TB by heamatogenous spread
- 100% mortality if left untreated
- appears as millet seeds when chest is re-infected via circulation
- Immunocompromised patients
What is the treatment of ACTIVE TB?
ACTIVE TB treatment ‘RIPE’
- RIFAMPACIN
- ISONIAZID (and pyridoxine)
- PYRAZINAMIDE
- ETHAMBUTOL
TOTAL of 6 months
2 months of RIPE
4 months pf RI
*corticosteroids as adjunct