Respiratory System/ENT Flashcards
What commonly causes bronchiolitis?
Respiratory syncytial virus
Why does bronchiolitis occur in infants?
It tends to occur in infants less than 18 months due to obstruction of the small airways - they have much smaller airways than older children/adults
What are the clinical features of bronchiolitis? (6)
- Coryza
- Wheeze
- Cough
- Difficulty feeding
- Apnoea
- Subcostal/intercostal retractions
In an infant with bronchiolitis, what would be found on examination? (2)
- Over-expansion of the chest
2. Wheeze and crepitations
How is bronchiolitis diagnosed, what investigations are carried out/results seen? (2)
- CXR will reveal overinflated lungs, and collapse or consolidation
- Nasopharyngeal aspirate - taken to look for RSV in respiratory secretions using immunofluorescence
How are babies with bronchiolitis managed? Do they need to be admitted?
Most babies are not ill enough to require admission and provided they can take feeds well, they are managed at home. Admission is required if there is:
- Cyanosis
- Increasing respiratory distress
- Apnoea
- Poor feeding
When do the symptoms of bronchiolitis peak during the infection?
Day 3-5
What are the NICE guidelines for diagnosis of bronchiolitis?
Diagnose if the baby has had a coryzal prodrome lasting 1 to 3 days, followed by:
- Persistent cough AND
- Either tachypnoea or chest recession AND
- Either wheeze or crackles on auscultation
When would a diagnosis of pneumonia be more likely compared to bronchiolitis? (2)
If the child has:
- A high fever (over 39 degrees) and/or
- Persistently focal crackles
NICE guidelines suggest there may be impending respiratory failure in a child with bronchiolitis, if they display what signs/symptoms? (3)
- Signs of exhaustion, for example listlessness or decreased respiratory effort
- Recurrent apnoea
- Failure to maintain adequate oxygen saturation despite oxygen supplementation.
According to NICE guidelines, which drugs often used to treat other respiratory conditions should NOT be given to treat bronchiolitis? (7)
- Antibiotics
- Salbutamol
- Hypertonic saline
- Adrenaline
- Montelukast
- Ipratropium bromide
- Systemic/inhaled corticosteroids
What is the treatment for bronchiolitis? (4)
- Oxygen (if stats are persistently below 92%)
- CPAP - only if have impending respiratory failure
- Upper airway suctioning - only if indicated (e.g. apnoea, feeding difficulties)
- If not taking fluids by mouth, give fluids via NG or OG tube
Before discharging a child with bronchiolitis, what is important for them to be able to do? (3)
- Maintain sats above 92% on room air for 4 hours, including a period of sleep
- Is taking adequate oral fluids
- Clinically stable
What are the NICE guideline red flag symptoms, that are important to look out for, and parents should be aware of, in children with bronchiolitis? (4)
- Worsening work of breathing (for example grunting, nasal flaring, marked chest recession)
- Fluid intake is 50–75% of normal or no wet nappy for 12 hours
- Apnoea or cyanosis
- Exhaustion (for example, not responding normally to social cues, wakes only with prolonged stimulation).
What is croup and why does it occur?
Croup is also known as laryngotracheobronchitis, and is a common childhood respiratory disease, characterised by a sudden onset of a seal-like barking cough often accompanied by stridor, voice hoarseness and respiratory distress.
The symptoms occur as it is an upper airway obstruction caused by inflammation due to a viral infection - normally parainfluenza virus.
What are the signs/symptoms of croup? (6)
- Seal-like barking cough
- Stridor
- Wheeze
- Coryza
- Fever
- Hoarseness
What % of children are affected by croup each year, and which age range is it most prevalent in?
3% of children each year, generally aged between 6 months and 3 years
When are hospital admissions of croup most common?
Between the months September to December
Croup tends to affect which gender more commonly?
Males
What is the treatment for moderate/severe croup?
Combination of dexamethasone and nebulised epinephrine
Which symptoms appear first in the croup?
Croup starts with coryza symptoms and fever and then proceeds to stridor and barking cough
If croup is very severe and respiratory failure develops, what is the management?
Intubation
What are the differential diagnoses for croup? (5)
- Epiglottitis
- Upper airway foreign body
- Retropharyngeal abscess
- Tonsillar abscess
- Allergic reaction
How is croup judged to be mild/moderate/severe/life-threatening?
Mild = seal-like barking cough but no stridor/intercostal recession Moderate = seal-like barking cough with stridor and sternal recession at rest ...but no agitation or lethargy Severe = all of the above with agitation and lethargy Life-threatening = all of the above with cyanosis/pallor/decreased level of consciousness
When is a child with croup admitted to hospital?
If it is moderate or worse
If in GP land, what is the management of a child with croup?
Give supplementary oxygen
Give oral dexamethasone (0.15mg/kg), if the child is too unwell to take this, then inhaled budesonide
Which bacteria causes epiglottitis?
Haemophilus influenzae B (HiB)
What are the common bacterial causes of pneumonia? (4)
- Streptococcus pneumoniae (especially in younger children)
- Mycoplasma pneumoniae
- Haemophilus influenzae
- Group B beta-haemolytic streptococcus (only in the newborn)
What are the viral causes of pneumonia? (5)
- Respiratory syncytial virus
- Influenza viruses
- Parainfluenza
- Adenovirus
- Coxsackie virus
What are the predisposing factors that can cause pneumonia in children? (6)
- Inhaled foreign body
- Persistent lobar collapse
- Aspiration
- Large left to right intracardiac shunt
- Immunocompromise
- Congenital abnormality of the tracheo-bronchial tree
What are the clinical features suggestive of pneumonia in the history? (5)
- Fever
- Cough
- Respiratory distress
- Shoulder tip/abdominal pain
- Sputum production in older children
What are the common presentation findings in a child with pneumonia?
- Tachypnoea
- Nasal flaring
- Intercostal/subcostal recession
- Grunting in infants
- Meningism
What investigations are performed in suspected pneumonia in children which can confirm the diagnosis? (2)
- CXR - focal consolidation suggests bacterial cause, diffuse consolidation often suggest viral
- Blood count/blood culture
What are the differential diagnoses for pneumonia in children? (6)
- URTI
- Bronchiolitis
- Acute bronchitis
- Asthma
- Non-specific viral infection
- Inhaled foreign body
What are the possible complications of pneumonia in children? (5)
- Lung abscess
- Empyema
- Pneumothorax
- Sepsis
- Bronchiectasis
What are the paediatric respiratory disorders that can cause a stridor? (3)
- Epiglottitis
- Inhaled foreign body
- Croup
What are the paediatric respiratory conditions that cause a wheeze? (5)
- Asthma
- Bronchiolitis
- Inhaled foreign body
- Cardiac failure
- Viral induced wheeze
What are the causes of a cough in infants? (4)
- Infections (URTI, bronchiolitis, pneumonia)
- Congenital malformations of the airway
- GORD
- Cystic fibrosis
What are the causes of a cough in pre-school children? (5)
- Infections (URTI, croup, acute bronchitis, pneumonia)
- Foreign body
- Asthma
- Cystic fibrosis
- Passive smoking
What are the causes of a cough in school children to adolescence? (6)
- Asthma
- Infections (URTI)
- Cigarette smoking
- Postnasal drip
- Psychogenic
- Cystic fibrosis
What are the symptoms of a chronic lower respiratory tract disease in children? (5)
- Productive cough which improves with antibiotics but quickly recurs
- Restriction of activity
- Failure to thrive/gain weight
- Clubbing
- Persistent tachypnoea
In a paediatric history for a cough, what questions are important to ask? (7)
- What does the cough sound like? (e.g. wheezy, dry, rattling due to mucus)
- What is the sputum like?
- When is the coughing worse?
- Is the cough acute, persistent or recurrent?
- Is the child systemically unwell?
- Associated symptoms/precipitating factors?
- Anyone in the family smoke?