Respiratory Flashcards
What is pleural effusion?
- collection of fluid in the pleural cavity
- can be exudative (high protein) or transudative (low protein)
- causes lung compression
What are exudative causes of pleural effusion?
- inflammatory: protein leaks out of tissue into pleural space
- lung cancer
- pneumonia
- autoimmune: RA, SLE
- TB
What are transudative causes of pleural effusion?
- caused by fluid shift into pleural space
- heart, liver or renal failure
- hypoalbuminaemia
- myxoedema
- ascites
What are the symptoms of pleural effusion?
- breathlessness
- cough
- pain and fever
What are the signs of pleural effusion?
- reduced chest wall expansion
- quiet breath sounds
- dull percussion
- mediastinal shift away from affected side
What investigations are done for pleural effusions and what does it show?
- CXR
- blunting of costophrenic angle
- fluid in lung fissures
- meniscus and tracheal/mediastinal deviation
- ultrasound
What is the treatment of pleural effusion?
- conservative management of cause
- pleural aspiration
- chest drain
What are the criteria for pleural infection?
- pH <7.2
- glucose < 3.3 mmol/L
- PF LDH > 1000IU/L
- bacterial growth
- macroscopic appearance of pus
What is empyema?
- infected pleural effusion
- improving pneumonia but new/ongoing fever
How is empyema investigated and treated?
- aspiration: pus, acidic pH, low glucose, high LDH
- chest drain to remove pus and antibiotics
What are the causes of empyema?
- community: S. milleri, S. pneumoniae, S. aureus
- Hospital: MRSA, enterococcus
What investigations are done for pneumothorax and what do these show?
- erect chest X-ray
- area between lung tissue and chest wall with no lung markings
- line demarcating where pneumothorax begins
- CT can detect smaller pneumothorax
How is pneumothorax managed?
- <2cm rim and no SOB: no treatment, follow up 2-4 weeks
- > 2cm rim/SOB: aspiration and reassessment
What are risk factors for pneumothorax?
- COPD, asthma, CF, lung cancer
- Marfan’s, RA
- ventilation
- smoking
What is pulmonary hypertension?
- inc resistance and pressure in pulmonary arteries
- causes strain on RHS of heart
- back pressure in systemic venous system
What are the 5 groups of causes of pulmonary hypertension?
- primary/connective tissue disease: SLE
- left HF: due to MI, htn
- chronic lung disease: COPD
- pulmonary vascular disease: PE
- misc: e.g. sarcoidosis
What is the presentation of pulmonary hypertension?
- shortness of breath
- syncope
- tachycardia
- raised JVP
- hepatomegaly
- peripheral oedema
What investigations are done for pulmonary hypertension?
- ECG change: RV hypertrophy, R axis deviation, RBBB
- CXR: dilated pulmonary arteries, RV hypertrophy
- Echo
What is the management of pulmonary hypertension?
- IV prostanoids e.g. epoprostenol
- endothelin receptor antagonist e.g. macitentan
- phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor e.g. sildenafil
What is sarcoidosis?
- granulomatous inflammatory condition
- nodules of inflammation full of macrophages
What is the epidemiology of sarcoidosis?
- young adulthood or around age 60
- more frequent in black patients
What are the pulmonary manifestations of sarcoidosis?
- bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy with pulmonary infiltrates and fibrosis
- dry cough, progressive dyspnoea, chest pain
What are the extra pulmonary presentations of sarcoidosis?
- uveitis, conjunctivitis
- cirrhosis
- erythema nodosum
- fever, fatigue, weight loss
What investigations are done in sarcoidosis?
- CXR and high res CT
- raised serum ACE and IL-2 receptor
- hypercalcaemia
What is the gold standard diagnosis of sarcoidosis?
- histology from biopsy
- bronchoscopy w USS guided biopsy of mediastinal lymph nodes
- non-caseating granulomas with epithelioid cells
What are the differential diagnoses for sarcoidosis?
- TB
- lymphoma
- hypersensitivity pneumonitis
- HIV
What is the treatment of sarcoidosis?
- no treatment if mild
- oral steroids and bisphosphonates
- 2nd line: methotrexate/azathioprine
What is the visceral and parietal pleura?
- visceral: covers the lungs
- parietal: forms the inner lining of the chest wall
- pleural space is a potential space filled with a small amount of fluid for lubrication
What is the purpose of the pleura?
- to allow optimal expansion and contraction of the lungs
- pleural fluid allows gliding without friction of pleura
What is pneumothorax?
- collapse of the lung leading to presence of air in the pleural space
What is the pathophysiology of pneumothorax?
- air entering due to hole in lung/pleura or chest wall injury
- intrapleural pressure is negative leading to air being sucked in and lung collapse
What are the types of pneumothorax?
- primary spontaneous
- secondary spontaneous
- traumatic
- iatrogenic
What is primary spontaneous pneumothorax?
- no underlying lung disease
- rupture of apical pleural bleb: air escaping into weakness in pleura
What are the risk factors for primary spontaneous pneumothorax?
- tall, thin, males
- smokers
- age 20-40
What are the causes of secondary spontaneous pneumothorax
- known lung disease, 60% due to COPD
- infection
- genetic predisposition
- catamenial pneumothorax
What are the symptoms of pneumothorax?
- acute/sudden
- breathlessness
- pleuritic chest pain
- cough
What are the clinical signs of tension pneumothorax?
- tachypnoea
- hypoxia
- unilateral chest wall expansion
- reduced breath sounds
What is tension pneumothorax?
- ONE WAY valve like mechanism causes air to be drawn into chest cavity during inspiration and trapping air in expiration
- displaces mediastinium causing dec CO and can lead to cardioresp arrest
What are the examination signs of tension pneumothorax?
- Tracheal deviation away from side of pneumothorax
- Reduced air entry
- Increased resonance to percussion
- Tachycardia
- Hypotension
What is the management of tension pneumothorax?
- insert large bore cannula into 2nd intercostal space in mid clavicular line
What is haemothorax and how is it managed?
- blood in the pleural cavity with a haemtocrit ratio of > 50%
- management: drainage
What is hydropneumothorax and what are the causes?
- air and fluid in the pleural space
- cause: iatrogenic, gas forming organisms, thoracic trauma
What is PaO2?
the pressure exerted by oxygen molecules when dissolved in blood plasma
What is type 1 respiratory failure?
- Low PaO2 - less than 8.0
- normal or low PaCO2
- normal HCO3
- V/Q mismatch e.g. pneumonia, PE
What is type 2 respiratory failure?
- Low PaO2
- High PaCO2
- normal HCO3 (acute) or high if chronic
- airway obstruction (COPD) or alveolar hypoventilation
What are the causes of a raised alveolar-arterial gradient?
- V/Q mismatch
- defects in diffusion
- shunt (R to L)
What is arterial/alveolar gradient?
- measure of the efficiency of gas transfer
- normal range: 1-2kPa or 1-3kPa in elderly
What are the responses to hypoxia?
- systemic vasodilation
- pulmonary vasoconstriction
What are the functions of the lungs?
- Gas exchange
- Acid-base balance
- Defence
- Hormones
- Heat exchange
What is the FEV1/FVC ratio for an obstructive vs restrictive lung disease?
- obstructive: FEV1/FVC <0.7
- restrictive: normal ratio but lowered FVC
What is DLCO?
diffusion factor of the lung for carbon monoxide
What causes a lowered DLCO?
- thickening of alveolar-capillary membrane
- reduced lung volumes
What causes a raised DLCO?
- increased capillary blood vol
- pulmonary haemorrhage
- L to R shunt
What is COPD?
- Irreversible, long term deterioration in air flow caused by lung damage
- persistent resp symptoms caused by inflammation
- exacerbations occur triggered by infection
What is the aetiology of COPD?
- caused by smoking
- chronic inflammation from exposure to noxious particles or gases
- Alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency
What is bronchitis?
- chronic cough with sputum production
- occurring for at least 3 months in the past 2 consecutive years
What is the pathophysiology of bronchitis?
- inc goblet cells
- inc production of mucus causing plugs
- thickening of resp epithelia
- all leading to narrowing of airways
What is emphysema?
- causes holes in the lung
- loss of elastic tissue
- destruction of lung parenchyma
What are the risk factors for COPD?
- smoking
- air pollution
- occupational exposure (metal/coal dust)
- genetic factors
- biomass fumes (unvented fires)
How does COPD present?
- chronic breathlessness
- cough
- sputum
- wheeze
- recurrent resp infections
How does COPD affect vasculature?
- hypoxia and vascular injury
- pulmonary artery intima proliferation and thickening
- reduction in transfer of oxygen into the body
- contributes to V/Q mismatch
What are the differential diagnoses for COPD?
- heart failure
- PE
- pneumonia
- lung cancer
- asthma
- bronchiectasis
How is COPD investigated?
- spirometry (FEV1/FVC <0.7)
- CXR or CT thorax
What are the 5 grades on the MRC dyspnoea scale?
- breathless on strenuous exercise
- breathless on walking uphill
- breathless slowing walking on flat
- stop to catch breath after 100m on flat
- unable to leave house
What is the immediate COPD management?
- smoking cessation
- pneumococcal and flu vaccines
- SABA (salbutamol) PRN
What is the 1st step in the long term management of COPD?
- SABA (salbutamol) or SAMA (e.g. ipratropium bromide)
What is the 2nd step in long term COPD management?
- if non-asthmatic: LABA + LAMA
if asthmatic: LABA + inhaled corticosteroid
What investigations are done for a COPD exacerbation?
- ABG: low pH and raised CO2: resp acidosis
- raised HCO3 to balance acidic CO2
- type 1 or 2 resp failure?
- CXR and sputum
Which drugs can be used to treat a COPD exacerbation?
- salbutamol (SABA)
- ipratropium (SAMA)
- prednisolone
- mechanical (non-invasive) ventilation aiming for 88-92% O2 sats
What is cystic fibrosis?
- autosomal recessive condition affecting mucus glands
- caused by genetic mutation of CFTR gene on chromosome 7 coding for chloride channels
What are the symptoms of cystic fibrosis?
- chronic cough
- thick sputum
- recurrent resp tract infections
- steatorrhoea
- child tastes salty due to conc sweat
- failure to thrive
What are signs of cystic fibrosis?
- low weight or height
- nasal polyps
- clubbing
- crackles and wheeze on auscultation
- abdo distention
How is cystic fibrosis diagnosed?
- newborn blood spot testing
- sweat test (GOLD)
- genetic testing for CTFR by amniocentesis or chorionic villous sampling
- faecal elastase