Respiratory Emergencies and Mechanical Ventilation Flashcards
Bare minimum history you need to obtain from a pulmonary patient
allergies, medications, past illnesses, last meal, events preceding episode that brought them in
Partial pressures for qualification of acute respiratory failure
PO2 is < 60 mmHg or PCO2 is > 50 mmHg
What sign of hypoxemia is usually observed before a patient crashes?
restlessness
Patients who should be considered for non-invasive positive pressure ventilation
patients who can protect/maintain their airway. Commonly used for COPD exacerbations
Most common cause of ARDS
sepsis
Why should you use the lowest level of PEEP (positve end expiratory pressure) when treating ARDS?
too much can decrease cardiac output
Which of the following describe hypobaric hypoxic condition: fluid retention, vasoconstriction, pulmonary artery HTN, increased endothelial permeability, edema?
All of them describe hypobaric hypoxic condition
Medical treatment for acute mountain sickness
Acetazolamide. Or alternative dexamethasone
Hallmarks of high altitude cerebral edema
altered consciousness and ataxic gait
What is the most common fatal manifestation of high altitude illness?
High altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE)
Important clinical sign of high altitude sickness
dyspnea at rest
Medical therapy of high altitude pulmonary edema
Acetazolamide, dexamethasone, sildenafil, nifedipine, salmeterol
What factors contribute to the impaired oxygenation of smoke inhalation?
Hypoxemic gas mixture, Carbon monoxide, Cyanide, and V/Q mismatching
Causes of thermal injury of the upper airway
mucosal edema, upper airway obstruction, inability to clear oral secretions
Treatment of smoke inhalation
humidified O2, bronchodilators, intubation, PEEP if bronchiolar edema
