Respiratory/ ENT Flashcards
What are the key signs of choking in a child?
- Inability to talk
- Inability to breathe or noisy breathing
- Weak or ineffective cough
- Cyanosis
- Potential loss of consciousness
What is the most common cause of choking in a child?
Aspiration of food or small objects
What is the management of choking in a child?
If conscious and can cough:
- Encourage the child to cough to dislodge the obstruction
If conscious but unable to cough effectively:
- Alternate between giving 5 back blows and 5 chest (infant)/ abdominal (child) thrusts
If unconscious:
- 5 rescue breaths, then immediately commence CPR
What is the first step in asthma management of a child 0-5 years old?
SABA (for relief of symptoms)
Salbutamol inhaled: 100micrograms/dose metered-dose inhaler)
1-2 puffs every 4-6 hours when required
What indicates that an asthmatic child 0-5 years old on step 1 of managment needs treatment escalation?
Use of SABA inhaler on average more than twice a week over 1 month
OR
Newly-diagnosed asthma with symptoms >=3/ week or night-time waking
What is the second step in asthma management of a child 0-5 years old?
SABA+8 week trial of paediatric moderate-dose inhaled corticosteroid
Beclometasone, budesonide, ciclesonide, fluticasone, mometasone
What should be done after 8 weeks in an asthmatic child 0-5 years old on step 2 of treatment?
Stop the ICS and monitor the symptoms:
- If they haven’t resolved consider another diagnosis
- If symptoms have stopped and then reoccur within 4 weeks, restart the ICS at a low dose as first-line maintenance therapy
- If symptoms resolve but reoccur beyond 4 weeks, repeat the 8 week trial
What is the third step in asthma management of a child 0-5 years old?
SABA + low-dose ICS + leukotriene receptor antagonist (LTRA)
What is the fourth step in asthma management of a child 0-5 years old?
Stop the LTRA and refer to a paediatric asthma specialist
What is the first line asthma management for children 5-16?
SABA
What is the second line asthma management for children 5-16?
SABA+paediatric low-dose inhaled corticosteroid
What is the third line asthma management for children 5-16?
SABA+paediatric low-dose ICS+leukotriene receptor antagonist (LRTA)
What is the fourth line asthma management for children 5-16?
SABA+paediatric low dose ICS+LABA
Stop a LTRA at this point if it’s not helping
What is the fifth line asthma management for children 5-16?
SABA+switch ICS/LABA for a maintenance and reliever therapy (MART), that includes a paediatric low-dose ICS
What is the sixth line asthma management for children 5-16?
SABA+paediatric moderate-dose ICS MART
OR
Consider changing back to a fixed-dose of a moderate-dose ICS and a separate LABA
What is the seventh line asthma management for children 5-16?
SABA+one of the following options:
- Increase ICS to paediatric high-dose, either as part of a fixed-dose regime or as a MART
- A trial of an additional drug (eg. theophylline)
- Seeking advice from a healthcare professional with expertise in asthma
What is the asthma maintenance and reliver therapy (MART)?
- A form of combined ICS and LABA treatment in which a single inhaler, containing both ICS and a fast-acting LABA, is used for both daily maintenance therapy and the relief of symptoms required
- MART is only available for ICS and LABAL combinations in which the LABA has a fast-acting component (eg. formoterol)
What does NICE recommend in terms of patients who have well controlled asthma, but the guidelines have changed?
It does not advocate for changing treatment in patients who have well-controlled asthma simply to adhere to the latest guidance
What constitutes the low, moderate and high doses of ICS?
- Low dose: <= 200 micrograms budesonide
- Moderate dose: 200-400 micrograms budesonide
- High dose: >400 micrograms budesonide
Why does NO correlate with levels of inflammation?
NO is produced by three types of nitric oxide synthases - one of the types is iNOS (inducible) and levels tend to rise in inflammatory cells, particularly eosinophils
What is the age threshold for objective testing for asthma?
Children >=5 years old
What are the diagnostic tests for asthma in children 5-16 years old?
- Spirometry with a bronchodilatory reversibility test
- FeNO should be requested if there’s normal spirometry or obstructive spirometry with a negative bronchodilatory reversibility
What FeNO threshold is considered a positive result in children?
> = 35ppb
What is the spirometry vale that indicates asthma?
FEV1/FVC ratio less than 70% is considered obstructive
What indicates a positive bronchodilator reversibility test in children?
Improvement in FEV1 or 12% or more
What constitutes a life-threatening asthma attack in children >5?
- SpO2 <92%
- PEF <33% best or predicted
- Silent chest
- Poor respiratory effort (CO2 levels normal on blood gas - exhaustion meaning CO2 can’t be blown off)
- Agitation
- Altered consciousness
- Cyanosis
What constitutes a severe asthma attack in children >5?
- SpO2 <92%
- PEF 33-50% best or predicted
- Too breathless to talk or feed
- Heart rate (>125 >5 years, >140 1-5)
- Respiratory rate (>30 breaths/ min >5, >40 breaths/ min 1-5)
- Use of accessory neck muscles
What constitutes a moderate asthma attack in children >5?
- SpO2 >92%
- PEF >50% best or predicted
- No clinical features of severe asthma
What is the management of a mild-moderate acute asthma attack?
Bronchodilator therapy
- Beta-2 agonist via spacer (children <3 use close-fitting mask)
- 1 puff every 30-60 seconds up to a max of 10 puffs
- If symptoms are not controlled, repeat beta-2 agonist and refer to hospital
Steroid therapy
- All children with asthma exacerbation
- Treatment for 3-5 days
- Oral prednisolone
What are the doses of oral prednisolone given during asthma attacks?
2-5 years
- 20mg od (1-2mg/kg od, max 40mg)
> 5 years
- 30-40mg of (1-2mg/kg od, max 40mg)
What is the A-E management of acute severe asthma?
- Continuous O2 sats monitoring
- High flow O2 via non-rebreathe mask to achieve sats 94-98%
- Nebulised salbutamol (2.5-5mg) every 20 mins with ipratropium bromide (250mcg) for first 2 hours
- Oral prednisolone
- Consider IV Mg and amiophylline if the child is still unresponsive after the maximum doses of bronchodilators and steroids
- Consider ABG if poor response to early treatment
- Refer to PICU
What is the mechanism of ipratropium bromide?
Acetylcholine antagonise via blockade of muscarinic cholinergic receptors
What is the A-E management of life-threatening acute asthma?
- Continous O2 sats monitoring
- High-flow O2 via non-rebreathe mask titrated to achieve sats of 94-98%
- Refer to PICU
- Salbutamol (2.5-5mg) every 20 mins with ipratropium bromide (250mcg) for first 2 hours
- Oral prednisolone
- Repeat dose of oral pred if vomiting, or consider IV steroids (hydrocortisone 4mg/kg every 4 hours)
- Give bolus of IV Mg
- Consider bolus of IV salbutamol if child has responded poorly to all other treatments, followed by infusion
- Consider aminophylline if still unresponsive to maximal doses
- Consider ABG if poor response to early treatment
What is the most common causitive pathogen of bronchiolitis?
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) - 70-80% of cases
When is the incidence of bronchiolitis higher?
Winter
Which patient group are most affected by bronchiolitis?
Most common serious lower respiratory tract infection in <1 year olds, peak incidence 3-6 months
- Maternal IgG provides protection to newborns against RSV
What are the non-RSV causes of bronchiolitis?
- Mycoplasma
- Adenoviruses
- Influenza
- Rhinovirus
- Parainfluenza virus
- Human metapneumovirus
- Can be secondary to a bacterial infection
What are the clinical features of bronchiolitis?
Coryzal symptoms (including mild fever) proceeding:
- Dry cough
- Increasing breathlessness
- Wheezing, fine inspiratory crackles
- Feeding difficulties associated with increasing dyspnoea
- Nasal flaring
- Grunting
When should a child immediately be referred (usually be ambulance) to hospital in suspected bronchiolitis?
- Apnoea
- Child looks seriously unwell
- Severe respiratory distress eg. grunting, marked chest recession, resp rate >70 breaths/ min
- Central cyanosis
- Persistent O2 sats <92% when breathing air
When should clinicians consider referring a suspected case of bronchiolitis to hospital?
- Resp rate >60 breaths/ minute
- Difficulty with breastfeeding or inadequate oral fluid intake (50-70% of usual volume)
- Clinical dehydration
What investigations can be done for bronchiolitis?
It should be diagnosed clinically, but if there is doubt:
- Immunofluorescence of nasopharyngeal secretions may show RSV
- Chest x-ray may be considered in severe cases or if there’s concern about complications
What is the management of bronchiolitis?
- Humidified O2 given via a head box, recommended in O2 sats are persistently <92%
- NG feeding if children can’t take enough fluid/ feed by mouth
- Suction sometimes used for excessive upper airway secretions
- Ribavirin (antiviral) may be used in severe cases
What is given prophylactically to prevent bronchiolitis in high risk patients?
Palivizumab
What is the complication of bronchiolitis?
Bronchiolitis obliterans
- Bronchioles are injured due to infection leading to overactive cellular repair and build up of scar tissue
- Scar tissue obstructs the bronchioles, impairing O2 absorption
- Scarring can worsen over time leading to resp failure
Which patient group is at highest risk of developing bronchiolitis obliterans as a complication of bronchiolitis?
Lung transplant recipients, ~50% develop condition within 5 years of transplant due to organ rejection
What is croup?
An upper respiratory tract infection seen in infants and toddlers. Characterised by stridor
What causes stridor in croup?
- Laryngeal oedema (mainly this)
- Tracheal oedema
- Bronchial oedema
- Secretions
What is the most common cause of croup?
Parainfluenza virus
What is the peak incidence of croup?
6 months - 3 years
What are the general features of croup?
- Stridor
- Barking cough (worse at night)
- Fever
- Coryzal symptoms
What are the features of mild croup?
- Occasional barking cough
- No audiable stridor at rest
- No or mild suprasternal and/ or intercostal recession
- The child is happy and prepared to eat, drink and play
What are the features of moderate croup?
- Frequent barking cough
- Easily audiable stridor at rest
- Suprasternal and sternal wall retraction at rest
- No or little distress or agitation
- The child can be placated and is interested in its surroundings
What are the features of severe croup?
- Frequent barking cough
- Prominent inspiratory (and occasionally expiratory) stridor at rest
- Marked sternal wall retractions
- Significant distress and agitation, or lethargy or restlessness (hypoxaemia)
- Tachycardia occurs with more severe obstructive symptoms and hypoxaemia
What are the features of croup that prompt admission?
- Moderate or severe croup
- <6 months
- Known upper airway abnormalities
- Uncertainty about diagnosis
What are the investigations for croup?
- Majority are diagnosed clinically
- Chest x-ray can be indicated
What would a chest x-ray of croup show?
Subglottic narrowing, the steeple sign
What is the of mild or moderate croup?
Oral dexamethosone, 0.15mg/kg
2nd line
Oral prednisolone, 1mg/kg with a repeat dose the following evening
Discharge once stridor free at rest
What is the management of severe croup?
Nebulised adrenaline, high flow oxygen and dexamethosone (0.6ml/kg)
What viruses, other than the parainfluenza virus, can cause croup?
- Adenovirus
- Influenza
- RSV
What is the appearance of a normal tympanic membrane?
Left tympanic membrane (malleolus process is pointing left)
- Cone of light indicates a healthy ear
What are the features of ear wax?
- Antiseptic
- Pathogen collector
- Moisturizing
What is otitis externa?
Infection of the skin of the external auditory canal
Commonest in hot, humid countries
What are the symptoms of otitis externa?
- Irritable child
- Worsening otalgia
- Otorrhoea
- Itchiness
- Ear fullness/ tugging of the ear/ hearing loss
- Tinnitus
What are the risk factors for otitis externa?
- Young children
- Females > males
- Frequent contact with water
- Obstruction of the ear canal
- Ear trauma
- Foreign body in the ear
- Skin conditions: eczema, psoriasis
- Immunocompromised patients
What is the presentation of bacterial otitis externa on otoscopy?
What is the presentation of fungal otitis externa on otoscopy?
What is the management of bacterial otitis externa?
Localised:
- Analgesia and heat application
- Oral abx rarely required
Acute lasting <3 months:
- Keep ears clean and dry
- Consider over the counter acetic acid 2% ear drops (over 12 yrs, morning and evening, after showering etc max 7 days)
- Ibuprofen/ paracetamol
- Consider antibacterial + topical corticosteroid ear drops
Chronic lasting >3 months:
- Avoid triggers
- Analgesia PRN
- Arrange ear swab
What is the management of fungal otitis externa?
6 weeks of treatment even if the tympanic membrane appears normal, due to possibility of remaining spores that aren’t visible to the naked eye