Respiratory Conditions Flashcards
How would you describe pleuritic pain and how is this pain localised?
Pain is localised because the parietal pleura is irritated and is innervated by the intercostal nerve and phrenic nerve.
Feel:
- sharp pain
- worse on inspiration and coughing
- shoulder tip pain (phrenic nerve) and/or thoracic wall pain (intercostal nerve)
Do you hear a wheeze greater on inspiration or expiration?
Explain
Expiration because the intrathoracic airways become narrow on expiration, in conjunction with the obstruction in the intrathoracic airway, the wheeze is heard.
Obstruction can be due to foreign body, mucous, oedema, bronchial SM contraction
What is stridor and when is it heard greater (inspiration or expiration)?
Stridor is a high pitched continuous harsh sound heard predominantly on inspiration as there is an obstruction in the extrathoracic airway
What are the common clinical presentations of a COPD patient and why?
Breathing with pursed lips (to prolong gas exchange so more air can be expelled from small airways than be trapped) Use of accessory muscles (forced inspiration and expiration to get more air into lungs) CLEAR sputum (also get this in CHRONIC BRONCHITIS)
In emphysema, why are the lungs hyperinflated and why is the chest wall hyperextended (AP diameter>Lat. diameter - barrel chest)?
Due to the trapping of air in the small airways (this air is not expelled)
Describe how air would sound in the chest on percussion and describe possible conditions that could correspond with that air sound
Resonant: normal
Hyper-resonant: pneumothorax (air in pleural space)
Dull: pneumonia (consolidation - exudate in airways)
Stony dull: pleural effusion
If this breath sound is heard in the lower respiratory tract what condition may the patient have and what would the air sound like in the chest?
Bronchial breath sounds
Pneumonia
Dull
What does a pleural rub sound like and what condition does the patient have?
Rub hands against ear (coarse, scratching)
Pleurisy/pleuritis (inflammation of the pleura)
Describe the different crackle sounds and what condition the patient could have?
Fine: pneumonia
Mid coarse: pulmonary fibrosis
Coarse: COPD, bronchiectasis
In pneumonia how would the:
A) air sound
B) breath sound
C) crackles sound
On the chest?
A) dull
B) bronchial
C) fine
Pulmonary embolism definition
When a substance (typically a thrombus) has entered the right side of the heart and lodged in the pulmonary artery
What causes fat embolism syndrome and what is its triad?
LT long bone fracture
Brain: neurological abnormalities (confusion)
Lung: hypoxaemia (fat emboli)
Skin: petechial rash
What is the main cause of a pulmonary emboli?
DVT from popliteal or pelvic vein
Name 4 risk factors for a thrombo-embolism and why?
relate to Virchow’s triad
- pregnancy (stasis)
- long haul flight (stasis)
- COCP (oestrogen increases livers synthesis of clotting factors)
- obesity (fat so have more oestrogen so same as above, also increased stasis and impaired circulation due to fat on vessel wall)
List symptoms of a pulmonary embolus
Dyspnoea Cough Pleuritic chest pain Haemoptysis Syncope Unilateral leg pain
List signs of a pulmonary embolus
Tachycardia Tachypnoea Cyanosis Decreased breath sounds Fever Loud P2 (result of kpa r. side>l. side)
Name 4 conditions where breath sounds will be reduced or absent
pppa
Pulmonary embolism
Asthma
Pleural effusion
Pneumothorax
A) Acute right ventricular overload
B) Respiratory failure
C) Pulmonary infarction
are all clinical outcomes of a pulmonary emboli, how do they come about?
A) + inotropes (to ↑BP)-> RV overload + PA vasoconstriction -> PA ↑kpa-> RV dilation
B)RV output ↓ so get V/Q mismatch
C) emboli lead to alveolar haemorrhage, get triad + wedge on CXR.
1) haemoptysis
2) pleural effusion
3) pleuritis
What is the treatment for a pulmonary embolism?
Immediate Heparin or LMWH
Oxygen
Describe the pathology of a pneumothorax and why the lung collapses?
Breach in chest wall or lung leads to air from the atmosphere (higher kpa) now entering the pleural cavity (lower kpa). Air keeps flowing down the [gradient] until the pressures are =. Lung then collapses due to unopposed elastic recoil of the chest wall.
How do you treat a large spontaneous pneumothorax that is symptomatic?
Place CHEST DRAIN in safe triangle found in the 5th ICS at the MAL. Chest drain is connected to an underwater seal that is open to the air/suction to prevent inspiration of air when patient is inspiring.
Name the borders of the safe triangle of the chest
Lateral border of pectoralis major
Anterior border of latissimus dorsi
Nipple line
Why do patients with a tension pneumothorax have a raised Jugular Venous Pressure?
Due to intra-pleural pressure being higher than atmospheric pressure (as a result of the flap on the chest wall, preventing air from escaping the intra-pleural space) so venous return is impaired so RA is increasing its force of contraction to try and increase the CO and this causes JVP to rise
What is the treatment for a tension pneumothorax?
Insert a cannula in the 2nd ICS MCL, remove this once a chest drain with underwear seal has been placed into the 4th ICS MAL
What is empyema?
Pus in pleural cavity
Can be a result of pneumonia. Bacteria enters the pleural space
What is chylothorax?
Lymphatic fluid in pleural cavity from lymphatic duct - a result of trauma
Name 3 causes of an exudate pleural effusion
Infection (TB, Pneumonia)
Cancer
Pulmonary infarction (due to pulmonary embolism)
Describe the pathogenesis of PRIMARY TB and POST PRIMARY TB
inhale aerosol containing Mycobacterium tuberculosis -> engulfed by alveolar macrophages (Ghon’s focus) -> MT enters local/MS lymph nodes -> Primary complex (Ghon’s focus + LN infection) (-> PRIMARY TB, active 5%) -> containment of infection -> latent infection -> 95% cure or reactivation and get POST PRIMARY TB
How does extrapulmonary tuberculosis occur?
TB bacilli enters lymph drainage to venous system thus enabling its haematogenous spread
What is the difference between latent and active TB?
What is the similarity between latent TB and active TB?
Latent TB, you are not infectious and you are asymptomatic, sputum smear and culture is -, normal CXR
You have the MTB infection in both, tuberculin skin test + and interferon gamma test +
Name 6 symptoms of tuberculosis
Cough Malaise Fever NIGHT SWEATS Weight loss Lethargy
What is tuberculin?
A protein released by Mycobacterium Tuberculosis
3 side effects of Rifampicin
Orange urine
Paraesthesia
Myalgia