Respiratory Disorders Flashcards
Green LO How do you examine a patient in mild to moderate dyspnea?
- No more stress!
- Allow to assume preferred position
- Respiratory rate and breathing effort observed from a distance
- If severely dyspneic or cyanotic important to do emergency treatment before complete PE
How does chronic disorder become an emergency?
- Heat, humidity, excitement, and stress
- Anatomic obstruction or other
- Hypoventilation and accumulation of CO2
- Respiratory acidosis
- Vigorous breathing (negative pressure)
- Lowered airway pressure
- Edema and eversion of laryngeal saccules
Why is it so important for a dog that has turbulent breathing to breathe more slowly?
- Turbulent airflow creates an obstruction of sorts
- Vs laminar airflow which is smooth
Green LO If you need to provide emergency treatment in severely dyspneic animals with UAO, what are the components of such treatment?
- Oxygen and cooling
- Sedation (IV opioids and acepromazine in dogs; acepromazine in cats)
- Steroids (dexamethasone SP or prednisolone
- Dexmedetomidine
How responsive to steroids is laryngeal edema?
- VERY steroid responsive
What to do if dyspnea is not improving after oxygen, cooling, sedation, and steroids?
- Intubation then assess if the obstruction can be immediately resolved
- If not, tracheostomy
Why do animals that have small airways tend to become hyperthermic?
- AIrflow is important for cooling
Why can overzealous IV fluids be harmful in patients with upper airway obstruction?
- Laryngeal edema!
- If you over-hydrate them, that can be exremely problematic
Clicker question Which of the following IS a fundamental emergency treatment for upper airway obstruction?
A. Antibiotics
B. Sedation
C. IV fluids
D. Bronchodilators
B. Sedation
Green LO What are the clinical signs of moderate to severe dyspnea? List 4.
- Noisy breathing
- Gagging, retching
- Swallowing problems
- Exercise intolerance
- Cyanosis
- Restless sleep
- Collapse
Green LO Do an air temporary tracheostomy
- Midline skin incision
- Separate the sternohyoid muscles
- Retract carefully
- Place circumcostal stay sutures - keep caudal
- Transect less than 50% of circumference of trachea; can also make an elliptical incision (dogma is between 3 and 4 but can take awhile)
- Compress cranially with a hemostat when inserting the tube
What anatomy do you need to be careful with when doing a temporary tracheostomy?
- Thyroid glands
- Carotid artery
- Vagosympathetic trunk
- Recurrent laryngeal nerve
Blue LO WHat is the name of the nerve which arborizes to become the caudal laryngeal nerve?
- Recurrent laryngeal nerve
Green LO During which circumstance does one inflate the cuff on a tracheostomy tube?
- Do not cuff unless anesthesia/ventilation (tracheitis or ischemia)
Which type of tracheostomy tube is easier to clean?
- Double lumen
How big should the tracheostomy tube be?
- <50% of trachea diameter ideally, but really shoot for <75%
Green LO How do you care for a case with tube tracheostomy? Provide 3 different principles - no added detail like timing and doses are needed.
- Hand wash and exam gloves for skin care
- Avoid obstruction by suctioning as often as needed but not more or no less
- Humidification or 1-5 cc sterile saline instilled every 1-2 hours
How should a tracheostomy tube site be closed?
- 2nd intention
Should you give prophylactic antibiotics with a tracheostomy tube?
- No as that can promote resistant bacteria
- Biofilm formation
Clicker question Which of these statements correctly represent postop care of a tube tracheostomy patient?
A. Tube is always cuffed to protect the airway from aspiration
B. Care is often on an out-patient basis
C. Tube cleaning occurs once per day
D. Injection of 1 mL of saline in tube as often as needed to loosen secretions
??? Not sure
What are the four key modes of diagnosing an upper airway obstruction?
- History and clinical signs
- Physical examination
- Radiographs (chest and cervical)
- Nasal-oro-laryngeal examination
Green LO In addition to signs of respiratory distress, what clinical signs are common in the history of patients with an upper airway obstruction (UAO)?
- Brachycephalic dogs > cats
- Often <4 years
- Noisy breathing
- Gaggin, retching
- Swallowing problems
- Exercise intolerance*
- Cyanosis*
- restless sleep*
- Collapse and death*
Describe an obstructive breathing pattern
- Stertor (nasal/nasopharyngeal disease)
- Stridor (pharyngeal/laryngeal/tracheal disease)
- Pay attention to the inspiratory phase getting longer and more filled with effort
Describe a restrictive breathing pattern
- Shallow, breathing faster than average
- Increased effort
Green LO How soon do you extubate an upper airway obstructive patient after surgery?
- Wait as long as possible
Green LO What complication may a cuffed tracheostomy tube lead to if the cuff is inflated?
- Pressure necrosis of the tracheal mucosa or cartilages and stenosis of the trachea
Green LO What acutely and immediately life-threatening complication can occur after upper respiratory surgery and what is causing this complication?
- Laryngeal edema from the trauma of surgery
- Be prepared for reintubation and tracheostomy
- Careful feedings
- Observe for upper airway edema for 24-72 hours
- “No” IV fluids
Where can dyspnea localize?
- Upper airways (larynx? trachea?)
- Small airways
- Lungs
- Pleura
What radiographs should always be done with upper airway obstruction and why?
- Chest and cervical radiographs
- Predisposed for aspiration pneumonia and looking for signs of esophageal disease
What is the association between upper airway obstruction and GI disease?
- Chronic upper airway obstruction can put a lot of pressure on the abdominal contents
- Hiatal hernia could happen
- GI lesions (esophagus, stomach, duodenu, inflammation) are common and secondary to UAO
- Vomiting, regurgitation, and vasovagal syncope
What can happen to GI lesions with correction of the brachycephalic syndrome?
- Resolution