Respiratory Flashcards
What 6 symptoms must you ask about in a resp history?
- cough
- dyspnoea
- chest pain
- wheeze
- sputum
- haemoptysis
Describe each of the 5 levels of the MRC dyspnoea score
- not troubled by breathlessness except on strenuous exercise
- SoB when hurrying or going up hill
- walks slower than contemporaries on level ground or has to stop for breath when walking at own pace
- Stops after walking about 100m or after a few mins on level ground
- too breathless to leave house, or when changing
Describe the 5 levels of the WHO performance status
- fine
- restricted in strenuous activity but can carry out light work
- self care fine but unable to carry out any work activities, active for 50% waking hours
- only limited self care, confined to bed or chair for > 50% waking hours
- completely disabled, cannot self care
- dead
Describe the difference between restrictive and obstructive spirometry
restrictive: normal FEV1/ FVC but reduced FCV
obstructive: FEV1/ FVC< 80%, FVC normal
Give 3 examples of obstructive lung diseases
Asthma (reversible), COPD (non reversible), bronchiectasis
Give 3 examples of restrictive lung diseases
interstitial lung disease, scoliosis, marked obesity, neuromuscular causes
What are the 4 causes of low PaO2?
- hypoventilation
- diffusion impairment
- pulmonary shunt
- v/q mismatch
What is the alveolar- arterial gradient useful for?
Determining if there is a lung pathology causing ABG abnromalities- if the gradient between the alveoli and artery is >4kPa there is lung pathology, if <4kPa pathology is not todo with lungs- drugs, encephalopathy etc
How is the alveolar- arterial gradient calculated?
PAO2 (alveolar partial pressure of O2)= 20 (Air PO2) - PaCO2 (same as pCO2)/0.8
PAO2- PaO2 (arterial O2)= A-a gradient (should be <2kPa)
Describe how anaphylaxis presents
- rapid onset pruitis, angiodema, urticaria, hoarseness, stridor/ wheeze, chest tightness and bronchospasms
- within minuites of exposure to source (drugs, food, sting, bite)
Describe the management of anaphylaxis (inc drug doses) with hypotension (7)
- remove trigger and maintain airway (may need to call anaesthetist)
- give 15L O2
- IM adrenaline 0.5mg every 5 mins
- IV hydrocortisone 200mg
- IV chlorphenamine 10mg
- lie flat and give 500ml 0.9% saline over 15 mins -> give more after if necessary
- NEB salbutamol 5mg if bronchospasm
- NEB adrenaline if laryngeal odema
Define a mild and moderate asthma attack
Mild: PEFR >75% no features of severe asthma
Moderate: PEFR 50-75% no features of severe asthma
Define a severe asthma attack
Severe is one of: PERF 33-50%, cannot complete a sentence in one breath, RR>25, HR>110
Define a life threatening and near fatal asthma attack
Life threatening: PERF <33%, sats <92% or ABG pO2< 8kPa, cyanosis, poor respiratory effort, silent chest, exhaustion, confusion, hypotension or arrhythmias
Near Fatal: Raised pCO2
Describe how you manage a severe asthma attack inc drug doses (5)
ABCDE
- Oxygen: aim forsats 94-98%, ABG if <92%
- 5mg back to back salbutamol nebs (every 15 mins if moderate)
- 40mg oral pred/ IV hydrocortisone if PO not possible
- Ipratropirum bromide 0.5mg neb
- IV theophyline/ aminophylline if refractory or life threatening
- ITU/ anaesthetist assesment and urgent CXR if life threatening
Describe how you would determine between an infective and non infective exacerbation of COPD
If infective: change in sputum colour/ volume, fever, raised WCC/ CRP
Describe the management of an infective exacerbation of COPD (5)
ABCDE
- Oxygen via a fixed performance face mask due to risk of CO2 retention, aim for 88-92% until ABG
- Salbutamol (5mg) and ipratropium bromide (0.5mg) nebs
- 30mg pred STAT and OD for 7 days
- Abx (amoxicillin 500mg or doxy)
- CXR
- Consider IV aminophylline if refractory
What would you do if someone with an infective exacerbation of COPD went into T2 resp failure with a pH of 7.25- 7.35?
NIV-> if pH drops further consider ITU referral
How do you determine if someone with COPD is a CO2 retainer?
Do an ABG:
- if retainer bicarb will be raised, this means you aim for 88-92% sats
- pCO2 may be raised and pH low due to acute illness but bicarb will not adjust quickly
Give the CURB-65 criteria
Confusion (MMT2 or more points worse than baseline)
Urea >7.0
Resp rate > 29
Blood pressure <90mmHg systolic or <60mmHg diastolic
Age >65
what is the difference between LRTI and pneumonia
pneumonia has CXR changes
Which Abx would be used for CURB 1, 2 and >3 community acquired pneumonia?
1: PO amoxicillin 500mg TDS for 5 days or PO doxy 200mg OD 5 days
2: Amoxicillin (same regime) AND doxy (same regime) –> if allergic just doxy
3 or more: legionella urine antigen test + Co-Amoxiclav IV 1.2g tds and Doxycycline oral 200mg od for 5 days. Meropenem IV in place of co- amox if allergic
Which antibiotic is used for HAP?
Co- amox oral if mild, IV is severe.
If allergic doxy PO for mild and meropenem IV if severe
Define massive haemoptysis
> 240mls in 24 hrs or >100 mls/ day over consecutive days
How do you manage massive haemoptysis (6)
ABCDE
- line pt on side of suspected lesion
- oral tranexamic acid for 5 days or IV
- Stop NSAIDs, aspirin, anticoagulants
- Abx if evidence of infection
- consider vit K
- CT aortogram- interventional radiologist may be able to undertake bronchial artery embolisation
How will a tension pneumothorax present?
Hypotension, tachycardia, tracheal deviation, sudden onset pain and SOB, high RR, resp failure, hyperresonance and no breath sounds unilaterally
How is tension pneumothorax treated?
Large bore IV cannula into 2nd ICS MCL and then chest drain into affected side
How can PE present?
- pleurtic chest pain
- SOB
- haemoptysis
- low cardiac output
- rarely a cough
Give 6 risk factors for PE?
- surgery
- pregnancy
- fractures
- varicose veins
- malignancy
- reduced mobility
- previous proven VTE
How are PE managed?
ABCDE
- Oxygen
- fluid resus if hypotensive
- thrombolysis if massive PE confirmed by echo or CT or cardiac arrest imminent and outweighs bleeding risk
What ECG changes may be caused by PE?
Right heart strain:
ST depression and T inversion in V1-4, II, III and aVF.
Most common change seen is sinus tachy.
Give 6 absolute contraindications of thrombolysis
- Haemorhagic or ischaemic stroke in last 6 months
- CNS neoplasia
- recent trauma or surgery
- GI bleed< 1 month ago
- bleeding disorder
- aortic dissection
- warfarin, pregnancy, liver disease and infective endocarditis are relative contraindications
give 5 complications of thrombolysis
- bleeding
- hypotension
- intracranial haemorrhage/ stoke
- reperfusion arrhythmias
- systemic embolisation of thrombus
- allergic reactions
Other than asthma what can cause a wheeze?
Bronchitis most common, pulmonary odema, COPD exacerbation, foreign body, allergic reaction, PE less common
State the criteria for safe asthma discharge after exacerbation? (7)
- PEFR >75%
- Nebs stopped for 24 hrs
- inpatient asthma nurse r/v for inhaler technique
- PEFR meter given and asthma action plan in place
- 5 days oral pred given
- GP follow up within 2 working days
- resp clinic follow up within 4 weeks
Give 5 differentials for eosinophillia
- airway inflammation due to asthma or COPD
- hayfever/ allergies
- drugs
- vasculitis
- eosinophillic pneumonia
- parasites
- lymphoma
- SLE
- allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis
Give 5 potential asthma triggers
smoking, upper resp infections (mainly viral), allergens (pollen, house dust mite, pets), exercise and cold air, pouultion, drugs (aspirin and B blockers in particular), stress
Give 3 features of good asthma control
- no day or nightime symptoms
- no need for rescue meds
- no attacks
- no limitations of physical activity
- normal lung function
- no side effects
Give the 4 pathophysiological features of COPD
- mucous gland hyperplasia
- loss of cillary function
- emphysema
- chronic inflammation w/ fibrosis