Respiratory Emergencies - Causes of Dyspnea part 2 & Assessment Flashcards
A lung disease that is characterized by chronic obstruction of lung airflow that interferes with normal breathing and is not fully reversible
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
An umbrella term that is used to describe several lung diseases, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis
COPD
An ongoing irritation of the trachea and bronchi
Chronic bronchitis
Cause of COPD
Direct lung and airway damage from repeated infections or inhalation of toxic gases and particles. But most commonly from cigarette smoking
With ___, excess musus is constantly produced, obstructing small airways and alveoli
Bronchitis
Chronic oxygenation problems can lead to ___
High-side heart failure and fluid retention, such as edema in the legs
Most common form of COPD
Emphysema
Loss of elastic material in the lungs that occurs when the alveolar air spaces are chronically stretched due to inflamed airways and obstruction of airflow out of the lungs
Emphysema
Most patients with COPD will ___
Chronically produce sputum, have a chronic cough, and have difficulty expelling air from their lungs, with long expiration phases and wheezing
Patients with pulmonary edema caused by congestive heart failure will often have ___ lung sounds. Those who it is caused by COPD will often have ___ lung sounds
- Wet
- Dry
Asthma, hay fever, and anaphylaxis are the result of ___
An allergic reaction
An acute spasm of the bronchioles associated with excessive mucus production and with swelling of the mucous lining of the respiratory passages
Asthma
Asthma produces ___
A characteristic wheezing on exhalation, the same air passages open easily on inhalation
In severe cases of asthma, ___ may develop
Cyanosis and/or respiratory arrest
Allergic rhinitis
Hay fever
Hay fever causes ___
Coldlike symptoms, including runny nose, sneezing, congestion, and sinus pressure
Severe allergic reaction characterized by airway swelling and dilation of blood vessels all over the body, which may lower BP
Anaphylaxis
Most anaphylactic reactions occur within ___ of exposure to the allergen
30 minutes
Partial or complete accumulation of air in the pleural space
Pneumothorax
Pneumothorax caused by trauma or medical conditions is called ___
Spontaneous pneumothorax
The natural elasticity of the lung tissue causes the lung to ___ during pneumothorax
Collapse
Who is most susceptible to spontaneous pneumothorax
- Patients with emphysema and asthma when a weakened portion of the lung ruptures, often during severe coughing
- Tall, thin young men, particularly while performing strenuous activites
A patient with spontaneous pneumothorax has ___ and might report ___
- Dyspnea
- Pleuritic chest pain
A sharp, stabbing pain on one side that is worse during inspiration and expiration or with certain movement of the chest wall
Pleuritic chest pain
Collection of fluid outside the lung on one or both sides of the chest
Pleural effusion
What does pleural effusion do?
Compresses the lung or lungs and causes dyspnea
The fluid in pleural effusion may collect in large volumes in response to ___
Any form of irritation such as infection, congestive heart failure, or cancer
When you listen with a stethoscope to a patient with dyspnea resulting from pleural effusion, you will hear ___
Decreased breath sounds over the region of the chest where the fluid has moved the lung away from the chest wall
Patients with pleural effusion will frequently feel better if they are ___
Sitting upright
Always consider ___ first in patients who were eating just before becoming short of breath
Upper airway obstruction
Anything in the circulatory system that moves from its point of origin to a distant site and lodges there, obstructing subsequent blood flow in that area
Embolus
Emboli can be ___
Fragments of blood clots that break off and travel through the bloodstream, or foreign bodies that enter the circulation such as a bubble of air
A blood clot fired in a vein, usually in the legs or pelvis, that breaks off and circulates through the venous system
Pulmonary embolism
The embolus can also come from the ___ in a patient with atrial fibrillation
Right atrium
Pulmonary emboli may occur as as result of ___
Damage to the lining of vessels, a tendency for blood to clot unusually fast, or most often, slow blood flow in a lower extremity
