Respiratory Flashcards
What are some signs of hypercapnia?
- confusion
- reduced consciousness
- asterixis (flapping tremor)
- bounding pulse
What are your differentials for type 2 respiratory failure?
- increased airway resistance (asthma, COPD)
- reduced breathing effort (drug effects, brainstem lesion)
- decreased area for gas exchange (chronic bronchitis)
- neuromuscular problems - Guillain-Barre Syndrome, MND
- deformity (ankylosing spondylitits, flail chest)
What are some causes of RESPIRATORY ALKALOSIS?
Increased ventilation
- anxiety
- pain
- hypoxia
- PE
- pneumothorax
- iatrogenic *excess mechanical ventilation)
A patient presents to A&E with a tight feeling in the chest, tingling around their fingers and mouth and shortness of breath. What is the most likely diagnosis?
Anxiety
Peri-oral tingling
How does hyperventilation lead to perioral and peripheral paresthesia?
- increased respiration - respiratory akalosis - increased alkaline blood plasma - decrease in free ionised calcium - hypocalcaemia
- this results in the described symptoms
How does sepsis result i metabolic acidosis?
Fever, hypotension and reduced end-organ perfusion can cause tissue hypoxia resulting in anaerobic respiration, increased lactic acid and therefore acidosis.
What do you give for HAP?
Piperacillin with tazobactam (if more than 5 days into admission)
What antibiotic do you give in an uncomplicated CAP?
Amoxicillin
Doxy if penicillin allergic
What is the most common cause of pneumonia in an alcoholic? In a non-alcoholic?
Klebsiella
Strep pneumonia
What ABG would you expect to see in a panic attack?
Hyperventilation - so low CO2, lower but normal O2, no metabolic changes
What kind of drug is bupropion and what is it’s use?
Noradrenaline and dopamine reuptake inhibitor
Nicotine antagonist
Used in smoking cessation
What medications can be offered in smoking cessation?
Varenicline
Bupropion
NRT (only one can use in pregnancy)
What are common causes of respiratory alkalosis?
Salicylate poisoning Pregnancy Encephalitis PE Anxiety leading to hyperventilation Altitude
What effects can small cell lung cancers have on the body?
Paraneoplastic syndromes - it’s a neuroendocrine tumour
Cushing’s syndrome, hyponatraemia
Lambert Eaton syndrome (autoimmune myasthenic-like symptoms)
What can be used in the management of alpha-1-antitrypsin disease?
Stop smoking
Bronchodilators, physio
Surgery: volume reduction surgery
What is first line treatment for sleep apnoea?
CPAP
weight loss, reduce alcohol intake, sleep on your side
What are common symptoms in a patient presenting with sleep apnoea?
Daytime somnolence
Hypertension
Waking in the night struggling to breath
What are risk factors for sleep apnoea?
Marfan’s
Large tonsils
Obesity
Give some common causes of haemoptysis.
Lung cancer (smoking hx, malignancy sx)
Pulmonary oedema (dyspnoea, bibasal crackles, s3)
TB (night sweats, anorexia, weight loss)
PE (pleuritic chest pain, tachycardia, tachypnoea)
Bronchiectasis (cough history, sputum production)
Mitral stenosis (dyspnoea, AF, malar flush, mid-diastolic murmur)
Aspergilloma (past TB, severe, CXR - round opacity)
Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (URTI, LRTI, saddle-shaped nose deformity, glomerulonephritis)
Goodpasture’s syndrome (haemoptysis, systemically unwell, glomerulonephritis)
What changes need to be made to asthma management during pregnancy?
Continue as normal for good asthma control
What is your management for sarcoidosis?
Asymptomatic - no treatment
NSAIDs and bed rest
Steroids pred 40mg 4-6 weeks
Severe cases IV methylpred or immunosupressants (cyclosporine, methotrexate, cyclophosphamide)
What is the most common organism causing infective exacerbations of COPD?
H. influenza
What drugs have associations with respiratory symptoms?
Ramipril
Aspirin/NSAIDs
Beta blockers
Clopidogrel/ticagrelor
How do you calculate pack years?
1 pack is 20 cigarettes
A 30 years pack history is 20 cigarettes a day for 30 years
What heart sound might be heard in pulmonary hypertension?
Loud P2
In what diseases does clubbing occur?
ILD Asbestosis Fibrosis Lung cancer Bronchiectasis CF
What could crackles on lung examination indicate?
Fine - pneumonia, bronchiectasis, CF, fibrosis
Coarse (Creps) - bronchiectasis, pleural effusion
What does a wheeze on respiratory examination indicate?
COPD or asthma
What is a good method to look at x-rays?
DETAILS - patient, time, date RIPE - rotation, inspiration, penetration, exposure Airway Breathing Circulation Diaphragm Everything (bone) Foreign bodies
What are you indications for CPAP?
Sleep apnoea
Hypoxia
HF + Pulmonary oedema - drives the fluid out
What is your only indication for use of BiPAP?
Acidotic patients
Hypercapnoea
(T2RF)
Define the two different types of respiratory failure
Type 1 Respiratory Failure - Low PaO2, normal PaCO2
Type 2 Respiratory Failure - Low PaO2, low PaCO2
PaO2 <8.0kPa is respiratory failure
Give some causes of type 1 respiratory failure
Airflow obstruction - COPD, asthma
Failure to ventilate the alveoli - emphysema
Diffusion limitations - emphysema, ILD, sarcoidosis
V/Q mismatch - pneumonia, COPD
What is the pattern seen in obstructive lung diseases?
FEV is lower than FVC
FEV1/FVC <80%
What is the pattern seen in restrictive lung disease?
FVC is proportionally lower than FEV1 so FEV1/FVC >80%
What are the two main pathologies behind COPD?
Emphysema
Chronic bronchitis
What are risk factors in COPD development?
Smoking
Infection
Occupation (mining)
Alpha-1-antitrypsin disease
What signs might you see in a patient with COPD?
Barrel-chest (hyperinflation)
Quiet on auscultation
Chest may be resonant
Pursed lip breathing
How do you control an acute exacerbation of COPD?
Controlled O2 (be aware of saturation target) Salbutamol nebulisers (SABA) and ipratropium (LAMA) 5-7 days course of prednisolone
What chronic management is seen in patients with COPD?
Home oxygen
SABA or LABA
Inhaled corticosteroids
Smoking cessation
What are the indications for home oxygen?
Resting PaO2 <7.3kPa
PaO2 <8kPa with peripheral oedema, PH or polycythaemia
Resting hypercapnia
What is the difference between chronic bronchitis and emphysema?
Chronic bronchitis - over secretion of mucous leading to productive cough, intermittent dyspnoea, infection risk and CO2 rention
Emphysema - loss of lung tissue, alveolar enlargement, bullous formation
What are the 4 key pathophysiological features behind asthma?
Bronchial hyperresponsiveness
Bronchoconstriction
Smooth muscle bronchospasms
Hypertrophy of mucosal glands
Give 3 triggers for asthma
Exercise
Cold weather
Night/early morning
Allergens
What investigations can be done in an asthmatic patient?
Peak Expiratory Flow - decreased, diurnal variation
Spirometry
DLCO/Transfer coefficient - may be raised
FBC
CXR
CRP
What is your management in an acute asthma attack?
Oxygen
Salbutamol (inhaler, nebs if possible run through with O2)
Hydrocortisone 100mg IV (max 200mg every 4hrs)
Ipratropium
Theophylline/Aminophylline (1.2-2g IV over 20 minutes) or MgCo4
What is standard escalation of asthma management?
Avoidance of trigger SABA Inhaled corticosteroid LABA LRA (Montelukast, preferred in younger children) Muscarinic agonist
What is bronchiectasis?
Permanent abnormal dilation and thickening of bronchi and bronchioles
Failure of mucociliary clearance, inflammation and obstruction
What is cor pulmonale?
Right sided heart failure secondary to a pulmonary problem