Respiratory Flashcards
Define bronchospasm
Bronchi develop a spasm and constrict, narrowing the airways
Define laryngospasm
Narrowing of the larynx. This can fully close the airway and prevent breathing
Define apnoea
The absence of breathing
Define dyspnoea
Difficulty in breathing
Define tachypnoea
Fast breathing
Define rhonchi
Low pitched, gurgling sound heard on auscultation typically caused by an obstruction in the airway, e.g secretions
Define stridor
-inspiratory harsh noise (created in the upper airway) generally very audible
-commonly heard in children with croup
Define cor pulmonale
abnormal enlargement of the right side of the heart as a result of disease in the lungs and/or pulmonary blood vessels
Define epistaxis
nose bleed
Define haemoptysis
coughing up blood, usually red and frothy
Define hypercapnia
high levels of carbon dioxide in the blood stream
Define hypoxaemia
an abnormally low concentration of oxygen in the blood
Define hypoxia
Where a part of the body is deprived of an adequate oxygen supply at tissue level. This can be through the whole body or just affecting one region of the body
Define cackles
Secretions in the airways that are not fully cleared by coughing, caused typically by infection or inflammation
Define grunting
a grunt heard at the end of the breath as typically a premature baby traps air in the lower airways by closing off the lungs
