Respiratory Flashcards
What is bronchiolitis?
Inflam and infection in the bronchioles, usually caused by virus. Most commonly resp syncytical virus. Usually in <6m but can be rarely dx in children up to 2 years, esp ex premie w chronic lung disease.
What is the presentation of bronchiolitis?
- Coryzal sx - runny nose, sneeze, mucus in throat, watery eyes
- Signs of resp distress - dyspnoea, tachypnoea
- Poor feeding
- Mild fever
- Apnoea
- Wheeze (airway narrowing, not bronchoconstriction) and crackles
- Sx worst on day 3-4
What are the signs of resp distress?
- Raised RR
- Use of accessory muscles
- Intercostal and subcostal recessions
- Nasal flaring
- Head bobbing
- Tracheal tug
- Cyanosis
- Abnormal airway noises
What are the abnormal airway noises?
- Wheezing - caused by narrowed airways, normally during expiration
- Grunting
- Stridor - inspiratory, obstruction of upper airway
What are reasons for admission in bronchiolitis?
- <3m
- Pre existing condition - premature, Down’s, CF
- 50-75% less feeding
- Dehydrated
- RR >70 and O2 sats <92%
- Signs of resp distress
- Apnoea
What is the management of bronchiolitis?
Normally supportive:
- Ensure adequate intake - orally, NG tube or IV fluids - small freq feeds and increase grad as tolerated
- Saline nasal drops and nasal suctioning
- Supplementary O2
- Ventilation
- NOT SABA AS NO BRONCHOCONSTRICTION
What are the stages of ventilatory support?
- High flow humidified O2 via nasal cannula = positive end expiratory pressure PEEP
- Cont +ve airway pressure CPAP
- Intubation and ventilation
How do you measure resp distress in children?
Capillary blood gases: rising pCO2 and falling pH
How can you try and prevent RSV?
Palivizumab given monthly to prevent in high risk babies - ex premature, congenital heart disease, chronic lung disease, immunodef.
Provides passive protection until virus is encountered.
What is CF?
Autosomal recessive mutation of CF transmembrane conductance reg gene making an abnormal Cl channel.
What the main consequences of CF?
- Thick pancreatic and biliary secretions = duct blockage = no digestive enzymes
- Thick airway secretions = reduced airway clearance = bacterial colonisation = susceptible to airway infections
- Congenital bilateral absence of vas deferens = male infertility
- Also female infertility
What is the presentation of CF?
Newborn: most CF found when screened for w newborn blood spot test. Meconium ileus is often the first sign = bowel obstruction in newborn baby.
Later on: recurrent LRTI, failure to thrive, pancreatitis.
What are the signs and sx of CF?
Sx - chronic cough, thick sputum production, recurrent RTIs, steatorrhoea, abdo pain and bloat, salty sweat (high in Na), failure to thrive
Signs - low weight or height on growth charts, nasal polyps, finger clubbing, crackles and wheezes, abdo distension
What are some of the causes of clubbing in children?
- Hereditary clubbing
- Cyanotic heart disease
- Infective endocarditis
- CF
- TB
- IBD
- Liver cirrhosis
What are the ix into CF?
- Sweat test
- Molecular genetic testing for CFTR gene
- Sinus XR or CT scan - opacification of sinuses
- CXR or CT thorax
- LFT - but unreliable before 6 years
- Sputum microbiology
What is the sweat test?
Chloride conc >60mmol/L w Na conc lower than that of the Cl on 2 separate occasions. Is the gold standard.
What are the common pathogens in CF?
- H.influenzae
- Staph aureus
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa
- E.coli
Why is pseudomonas so troublesome?
Difficult to get rid of - bacteria resistant to multiple Abx. Children w CF and pseudomonas to stay away from others w CF to prevent spread.
Treat - long term neb abx eg. tobramycin
What is the management of resp CF?
- Chest physio - several times a day to clear mucus and exercise to improve resp function
- Prophylactic fluclox against S.aureus
- Treat chest infections aggressively
- Bronchodilators
- NEBS - DNase to break down resp secretions and hypertonic saline and tobramycin
- Vaccines - pneumococcal, influenza, varicella
What is the management of pancreatic insufficiency?
- High calorie diet - treat malabsorption, increased resp effort, coughing and infections
- CREON - pancreatic enzyme replacement
(confirmed w stool elastase) - Screen for diabetes, insulin replacement will be required if have
What are other treatment options of CF? These are more adulthood treatments
- Lung transplantation in end stage resp failure
- Liver transplant in liver failure
- Fertility treatment = testicular sperm extraction
- Genetic counselling
What monitoring is done of CF patients?
- Sputum monitoring for colonisation
- Screen - diabetes, OP, Vit D def and liver failure
- Seen every 6 months in specialist centre
- PFTs, CXR, DXA, blood glucose, USS liver
What is the prognosis of CF?
~50 years old life expectancy.
- 90% will get pancreatic insufficiency
- 50% develop CF diabetes and need insulin
- 30% of adults get liver disease
- Most males are infertile
What is bronchiectasis? When would children get it?
Abnormal dilation of airways w associated destruction of bronchial tissue. Is potentially reversible, esp in children. Children are likely to get it if they have CF but other pathologies can lead to it.
How is bronchiectasis caused?
Inflam response to severe infection = structural damage within bronchial walls = dilation. Scarring = reduced cilia = predisposed to further infections.
What are the causes of bronchiectasis?
Post infection - Strep pneumonia, Staph aureus, adenovirus, measles, influenza virus, TB
Immunodef - IgA/IgG def, HIV infection, ataxia telangiectasia
Primary ciliary dyskinesia - autosomal recessive genetic defect = inaction of cilia = reduced mucus clearances
Post obstructive - foreign body aspiration
Congenital syndromes - Young’s and Yellow nail syndrome
What are the CF of bronchiectasis?
Chronic productive cough !!
- Purulent sputum
- Chest pain
- Wheeze
- Breathlessness on exertion
- Haemoptysis
- Recurrent LRTIs
- Finger clubbing
- Inspiratory crackles
What are the ix into bronchiectasis?
Imaging - CXR, high resolution CT
Bronchoscopy - not required but for those w focal bronchiectasis on HRCT or airway abnormality
LFTs - obstructive
Microbiological assessment - indicates underlying cause
Ix for underlying cause - Cl sweat test, FBC, immunoglobulin panel (IgA and IgG), HIV test
What are the signs of bronchiectasis on imaging?
CXR - bronchial wall thickening or airway dilation, tram tracks?
HRCT - bronchial wall thickening, signet ring sign, bilat upper lobe bronchiectasis = CF, unitlat upper lobe bronchiectasis = TB, focal bronchiectasis = foreign body inhalation
What is the management of bronchiectasis?
- Chest PT
- Bronchodilators for pt w wheeze
- Abx and exacerbations - dep on causative organism, normally need 10-14 days
- Long term abx - 3+ exacerbations a year should be considered
What are the signs of an acute exacerbation of bronchiectasis?
- Acute deterioration
- Worsening cough
- Increased sputum vol, viscosity or purulence
- Increased wheeze, breathlessness or haemopytsis
- Feeling systemically unwell
What are the complications of bronchiectasis?
- Recurrent infection
- Life threatening haemopytsis
- Lung abscess - empyema
- Pneumothorax
- Poor growth and development
What are the signs of acute severe asthma attack in children >2 years old?
- O2 sats <92%
- Too breathless to talk
- Pulse >125 >5 or >140 2-5
- RR >30 >5 or >40 2-5
- PEFR <50%
- Signs of resp distress
What are the signs of a life threatening asthma attack in children >2 years old?
O2 sats <92% plus:
- Silent chest
- Cyanosis
- Poor resp effort
- Agitation and confusion
- Coma
- Hypotension
PEFR 33-50%
What are the signs of a moderate asthma attack in children <2 years?
> 92%
- Audible wheeze
- Using accessory muscles
- Still feeding