Surgical and critical care deck Flashcards
What is the Glasgow scale of pancreatitis
PANCREAS
PaO2 <7.9
Age >55
Neutrophils (really WCC) >15
Calcium <2.0
Renal function: urea >16mmol/L
Enzymes: LDH >600 IU/L
Albumin <32 g/L
Sugar >10mmol
What are the causes of pancreatitis
I GET SMASHED
Idiopathic
Gallstones
Ethanol
Trauma
Steroids
Mumps/malignancy
Autoimmune disease
Scorpion sting
Hypertriglyceridemia/Hypercalcaemia
ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography)
Drugs: commonly azathioprine, thiazides, septrin, tetracyclines
What is the reason for hypocalcaemia in patients with pancreatitis
Saponification of fat from the enzymes released. Free fatty acids that are released chelate calcium.
What is the reason for hyperglycemia in patients with pancreatitis?
Destruction by enzymes of insulin-producing islet cells
What are the complications of pancreatitis
Early: DIC, ARDS and pleural effusions, metabolic, paralytic ileus, renal failure, portal vein thrombus, death
Late: Diabetes and malnutrition
Local: Haemorrhage, pseudocysts, necrosis, ascites
What equation controls acid base balance
Henderson hasselbach equation. Largely, carbonic anhydrase acts as a buffer
How is aCO2 carried in the body
Dissolved, buffered in water as carbonic anhydrase and attached to proteins (eg haemoglobin)
What is the chloride shift
In peripheral tissues, the CO2 enters RBCs and is converted to HCO3 via carbonic anhydrase and then leaves the RBC
In the lungs, the reverse occurs, and HCO3 enters RBC and CL leaves allowing HCO3 to be converted to CO2 and expelled. The ‘chloride shift’ allows for this to happen
What are the causes of respiratory alkalosis
Anxiety
Pain
High altitude
Asthma
Salicylate poisoning
What are the causes of respiratory acidosis
Flail chest
lung contusion
Pneumonia
ARDS
Metabolic alkalosis
Vomiting
Renal loss of H+
Diuretics
Definition of an aneurysm
Local dilatation of blood vessels to more than 1.5 times its size
How are aneurysms classified
Aetiology: Inflammatory, infective, congenital, tru or false
Site: Thoracic, abdominal, intracranial
Size: giant vs berry
shape: Fusiform, saccular
When would you consider an infrarenal aorta aneurysmal
normal diameter is 2cm so anything above 3
When would you consider repair of AAA
Above 5.5 or above 4 and has increase in size by >1cm over the past year
Monitoring for AAA
Below 3 cm patient can be discharged
3 - 4.4: Monitor annually
4.5 - 5.4: Monitor 3 monthly
>5.5cm should be referred to vascular for repair
What is the mortality with AAA
Elective 3-5%
Emergency: 50% mortality rate
50% of ruptured AAA don’t arrive the hospital
What specific complications of EVAR
Intraoperatively, there can be a rupture as well as an endoleak
Post op: Infection, MI, renal failure, mesenteric ischemia,
Aortic dissection classification
Stanford A for ascending and B for descending
A often requires surgery whereas B can be managed with medical therapy to prevent extension of aneurysm
What are the complications of open AAA repair
Immediate: Haemorrhage, distal limb thrombosis and embolisation
Early: Spinal cord ischaemia, acute mesenteric and renal ischemia, MI, CVA
Late: False aneurysm, graft infection, mycotic aneurysms and aorto-duodenal fistulas
FACT
In BC, the aerobic bottle goes first and then the anaerobic
6 hours of a painful and cool leg, what are the possible differentials
ALI, CLI, arterial dissection, traumatic disruption of blood flow, neurological compromise
What are the classifications of ALI
Bascially the muscles should be the last to go and if muscle weakness or paralysis then the limb might need to be amputated
What is reperfusion injury
Reperfusion with blood distal to the site of obstruction. It is complex but involves inflammation and the generation of oxygen free radicals
What layers do you go through to make a trachy
Skin, sub-cut fat, platysma, investing fascia, strap, pre tracheal fascia, thyroid isthmus, trachea
Define pain
It is an unpleasant sensory stimulus to actual or potential tissue damage. A pain receptor is called a nociceptor
What is allodynia
Sensation of pain from a normally non painful stimuli
What is neuropathic pain
Pain caused by damage to the pain-signalling pathway
It can occur in the form of stinging or burning in diabetes or nerve damage or impingement like in sciatica for example
FACT
Patients with a CHADVASC2 score of more than 2 should be offered anticoagulation. Orbit score assess the risk of bleeding whereas CHADVASC2 score assess the risk of stroke
What is the shelf life of packed RBC
35 days if stored in a freezer appropriately
Define a massive transfusion
Blood volume grater than the patients circulating volume given within 24 hours or >50% of circulating blood volume given in a 4 hour period
What are the possible options for transfusion for jehovas witness
Medically correct low iron or folate and or B12, EPO, TXA
IV fluids to increase circulatory volume and maintain CO
Haemostasis and cell salvage in theatre
Explain the medical management of IBD
Steroids: USe sparingly
Aminosalicylates: Mainly used in order to maintain remission
Thiopurines: Aza and typically useful for remission as well as maintenance
Methotrexate
Biologic: Infliximab and TNF alpha inhibitors
What is the Charcot triad
Jaundice
RUQ pain
Pyrexia
add low BP and tachycardia to this and we have the raynaulds pentad
Explain LFTs
ALT and AST are produced by the liver but ALT is more sensitive as AST can be produced in many other places
ALP is produced outside the liver in the bile duct and hence ALP > ALT/AST can indicate a cholestatic picture
Where else is ALP found
Pagets disease and pregnancy
Where is GGT located
In hepatocytes
How is bilirubin formed
RBCs are broked down at the end of their life and haem is converted to bilirubin and bilivirdin.
Bilirubin then conjugates in the liver and is mixed into bile
What is the fate of conjugated bilirubin
Is digested by bacteria in the gut to form stercobilinogen which is further oxidised to stercobilin and this gives the faeces their brown colour
Small amount of stercobilinogen is excreted in the urine as urobilinogen which undergoes further oxidization to form urobilin and this gives urine its yellow colour
What are some of the resons for ET tube insertion
Burn/inhalation injury
Trauma to the neck
MAX FAX trauma
<GCS
Airway obstruction/ oedema
ITU for ventilation
What are the criteria for non operative management of extradural haematoma
<30 cm size
<15mm thick
<5mm midline shift
GCS >8 and without focal neurology
Define the Monroe kelly doctrine
the contents of the cranium – which are the brain parenchyma, blood, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) – are constant/fixed
An increase in one must mean a reduction in one of the others and vice versa
What is the cushings reflex
HTN, Brady and chaine stokes breathing as response to raised ICP due to mixed symp and parasymp responses
What can distort pulse oximeter readings
Fake nails
CO poisoning can overestimate it
Poor perfusion
Jaundice will underestimate the true reading
What are the risks of using colloids
Anaphylaxis
Reduced platelet agg and dysfunction
Can you draw a CVP trace
At what point do you assess for brainstem arreflexia
evidence of irreversible brain injury on scan and clinical presentation
It should only be done when reversible causes of coma and/or apnoea are excluded
What are the criteria for brainstem death
Fixed pupils
No corneal, oculovestibular reflexes
No bronchial stimulation cough reflex with suction catheter
No response to supraorbital pressure
How do you perform the apnoea test
Adequately pre-oxygenate the patient
Hypoventilates until PCO2 >6 and PaO2 <7.4 on ABG
Disconnect from the ventilator and maintain oxygenation via C circuit of endotracheal tube for 5 mins. Then repeat ABG. If 0.5 kPa more pCO2 then apnoea confirmed