Respiratory assessment

Question 1

Indicators of respiratory involvement/ when to do respiratory assessment

Answer 1

-SOB
-coughing/ wheezing
-cyanosis
-tight chest
-chest pain
-signs of infection

Question 2

Signs difficulty breathing

Answer 2

-tripod position- hunched over, hands on legs
-unable complete sentences
-use accessory muscles eg. sternocleidomastoid
-flared nostrils
-wheezing
-cyanosis
-reduced LOC
-purse lip breathing

Question 3

1st step of respiratory assessment

Answer 3

Inspection
-resp rate, depth, rhythm eg. kussmal, cheyne stokes
-chest shape eg. barrel, pectus excavatum
-use accessory muscles
-recession- lack of pressure causes chest wall soft tissue to sink inwards
-chest wall markings
-medication patches
-rashes

Question 4

Kussmal breathing

Answer 4

abnormal breathing pattern characterized by rapid, deep breathing at a consistent pace

Question 5

Cheyne stokes

Answer 5

abnormal pattern of breathing characterized by progressively deeper, and sometimes faster, breathing followed by a gradual decrease that results in a temporary stop in breathing called an apnea

Question 6

Abnormal chest shapes

Answer 6

-barrel- due to constant use of accessory muscles to aid breathing
-pectus excavatum- crater in chest
-pectus carinatum- breastbone and ribs are pushed outward

Question 7

2nd step respiratory assessment

Answer 7

Palpation
-chest wall; front, back and sides
Feeling for
-tenderness
-crepitus= crunching, broken bones
-surgical emphysema= air in subcut. fat, bubbling

Question 8

3rd stage respiratory assessment

Answer 8

Percussion
-chest wall- anterior, axilla and posterior
Percussing for
-hyper-resonance= hollow, indicates air underneath
-normo-resonance
-hypo-resonance= dull sound, indicates a mass/ fluid

Question 9

4th stage respiratory assessment

Answer 9

Auscultation
-compare sounds from each lung
Listening for
-normal breathing sounds
-wheeze- indicates narrowing of airways, normally during expiration
-fine crackles- indicates fluid in smaller airway
-coarse crackles- indicates fluid in larger airways
-reduced breath sounds
-pleural rub- squeaking sound (squeaking of leather)

Question 10

Other respiratory tests we can carry out

Answer 10

-peak flow (PEFR)
-ETCO2
-ECG
-cardiac assessment