Resp exam Flashcards
General Inspection - patient wellbeing - what are you looking for? (6)
- Well/Unwell
- Alert
- Comfortable
- Breathless
- Cachexic
- Cushingoid
What are the causes of Cachexia in resp?
Malignancy
Emphysema
What are the causes of cushingoid in resp?
Steroid use
General Inspection - general breathing - what are you looking for? (2)
- Use of accessory muscles
2. Pursed lip breathing
What are the causes of use of accessory muscles in resp?
- COPD
- Pleural effusion
- Pneumothorax
- Severe asthma
What is the benefit of pursed lip breathing and in which conditions tend to cause this?
Prevents bronchial wall collapse by keeping airway pressure high in:
- severe airway obstruction
- emphysema
General Inspection - noises - what are you looking for? (7)
- Speech abnormalities
- Stridor
- Wheeze
- Cough
- Prolonged expiratory phase
- Clicks
- Gurgling
What are the resp causes of speech abnormalities? (1)
Recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy
What are the resp causes of stridor? (3)
Large airway obstruction
e. g.
1. Mediastinal masses
2. Bronchial carcinoma
3. Retrosternal thyroid
What 3 ways can you describe a cough?
Dry
Productive
Bovine
What is a bovine cough?
A non- explosive cough of someone unable to close their glottis
What causes a prolonged expiratory phase in resp?
- Asthma
2. COPD
What causes clicks in the resp exam?
Bronchiectasis
What causes gurgling in the resp exam?
Airway secretions
General Inspection - around the bed - what are you looking for? (4)
- Oxygen
- Medication
- Sputum pots
- Cigarettes
Give examples of resp medication you might see arounf the bed (2)
- Inhalers
2. Nebulisers
What should you do if you see a sputum pot?
Look at the sputum
Hands - tremor - what are the two types and what causes each (2)
Fine tremor - beta-2 agonist Flapping tremor (asterixis) - CO2 retention
Hands- what can peripheral cyanosis indicate? (2)
Hypoxia or Hypoperfusion
Describe the hands of someone with CO2 retention? (3)
- Sweaty
- Clammy
- Warm
In what resp condition might you detect small muscle wasting in the hands?
Pancoast tumour
In resp, what causes clubbing of the nails? (4)
- Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
- Lung cancer
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Bronchiectasis
What causes tar stained fingers?
Smoking
Pulse - what respiratory conditions cause tachycardia? (3)
- Hypoxia in severe asthma or COPD
- Pulmonary embolism
- Infection
Pulse - What causes a bounding pulse in resp?
CO2 retention
What in resp causes tachypnoea? (5)
- Lung disease
- Infection
- Hyperventilation
- Fever
- Pulmonary Embolism