Respiratory: explanation and treatment

Question 1

How would you describe asthma to a patient?
- What is it?
- Causes
- Pathophysiology
- Symptoms

Answer 1

Question 2

How would you explain chronic management of asthma to a patient?

Answer 2

Question 3

How would you explain COPD to a patient
- What is it?
- Causes
- Pathophysiology

Answer 3

Question 4

How would you explain chronic management of COPD to a patient?

Answer 4

Question 5

Pneumothorax
- What is it?
- Pathophys
- Symptoms
- Causes

Answer 5

What is it?
- A pneumothorax happens when air gets into the space between your chest wall and one of your lungs.

Pathophys/symptoms
- Once air gets into this space, it can put pressure onto your lungs, causing part or all of it to collapse.
- Causes shortness of breath, plus chest pain (especially when you breathe in)

Causes
- Spontaneous: primary (no reason), secondary (underlying lung conditions, smoking/inhaled drug use)
- Traumatic: injury, recent procedure

Question 6

Pneumothorax
- Treatment

Answer 6

Resp support
- High flow oxygen
- Sit upright

Chest tube
- Unless for primary spontaneous pneumothorax <3cm
- Open wound: partially occlusive dressing
- Tension: needle thoracostomy first

Question 7

OSA
- Treatment

Answer 7

Lifestyle
- SNAPV
- Avoid alcohol before bed
- Sleep on side

Non invasive treatment
- CPAP: first line, a lot of people don’t tolerate
- Oral appliances (andibular advancement, tongue retrainer): if CPAP not tolerated; less effective.

Surgical interventions
- Remove adenoids/tonsils
- Maxillomandibular advancement
- Hypoglossal nerve stimulation

Question 8

Pneumonia
- Explanation
- Symptoms

Answer 8

Infection of the air sacs of your lungs
Cause chest pain and SOB, cough; plus infection - fever, fatigue, etc

Question 9

Pneumonia
- Treatment (bacterial CAP?)

Answer 9

Question 10

Tuberculosis
- Explanation

Answer 10

• Tuberculosis is a serious infection that usually affects the lungs, but can also affect other organs in the body
• Latent TB infection: bacteria causing TB lie dormant in your body without making you ill. Not contagious
• Active TB: bacteria can become active at some point, making you ill and contagious.
• Without treatment, tuberculosis can be life threatening.

Risk factors
- Extremes of age
- Immunosuppression
- Exposure: sick contacts, country of origin, crowded housing, IV drug use

Question 11

Tuberculosis
- Treatment?

Answer 11

Active infection: six months antibiotics. 2 months of intensive treatment with 4 antibiotics; then 4 months with just two

Latent infection: three months of 2 antibiotics.

Important you take the medicines exactly as your doctor advises. Stopping treatment too soon or not taking the full dose can allow the bacteria to survive and become resistant to antibiotics.

Question 12

Lung cancer
- What is it/pathophys
- Causes
- Symptoms

Answer 12

Question 13

Lung cancer
- Treatment?

Answer 13

Question 14

DVT
- Treatment?

Answer 14