Thorax and Lungs Flashcards
Asthma
- causes SOB, noctural cough
- often assoc with history of allergies
- can be made worse by exercise or irritants like smoke in a bar
- on auscultation there can be normal to decreased air movement
- wheezing heard on expiration (sometimes inspiration)
- with severe asthma may not hear wheezing because of lack of air movement
Pneumonia
- usually associated with dyspnea, cough and fever
- on auscultation there can be coarse or fine crackles heard over the affected lobe
- percussion over the affected area is dull and there is often an increase in fremitus
- egophony and pectoriloquy are heard because of increased transmission of high-pitched components of sounds
Spontaneous pneumothoraz
- occurs suddenly
- severe dyspnea and chest pain on affected side
- more common in young males
- on auscultation of affected side there will be no breath sounds
- on percussion there is hyperresonance or tympany
- absense of fremitus to palpation
COPD
- insidious in onset
- generally affects older populations with a smoking history
- diameter of chest if often enlarged like a barrel
- percussing chest elicits hyperresonance
- auscultation there are distant breath sounds
- coarse sounds of rhonchi are also often heard
- IMPT to quantify patient’s exercise capacity- may affect employment and allows to follow for progession of disease
Pericarditis
- pain sharp, knifelike
- located over left side of chest
- change of position, breathing and coughing often make the pain worse
- leaning forward improves the pain
- oftern seen in rheumatologic disease such as systemic lupus and in patients with chronic kidney disease
- may experience after MI
angina
- dull chest pain in retrosternal area or anterior chest
- often radiates to shoulders, arms, neck and jaw
- associated with SOB, N and sweating
- pain generally relieved by rest or medication after several minutes
Dissecting aortic aneurysm
-associated with a ripping or tearing sensation that radiates to the neck, back or abdomen
-because blood supply to the brain and extremities is disrupted, syncope and paraplegia or hemiplegia can occur
-bp will usually be different between the 2 arms
-carotid pulses often show asymmetry
(because aneurysm decreases flow distally and causes inequality of flow between sides
Pleural pain
- sharp, knifelike
- occurs over affected area of pleura
- breathing deeply usually makes the pain worse
- lying quietly on affected side make the pain better
- pleurisy often occurs from inflammation due to an infection, neoplasm or autoimmune disesse
left-sided heart failure
- fluid starts “backing up” into lungs because heart is unable to handle the volume
- xs fluid collects in dependent areas, causing crackle in bases of lower lobes
- sitting up allows patients to breathe easier
- 2 main causes: chronic high bp, and CAD, which lead to MI and decreased contractility of the heart
funnel chest
- causes by a depression in the lower portion of the sternum
- severe enough can be compression of heart and great vessels,leading to murmurs on asuculation
- usually only a cosmetic problem, corrective surgery can be performed if necessary
2nd intercostal space
location of needle insertion for tension pneumothorax
T4
approximate bifurcation of trachea
-marks inferior limit for endotracheal tube on chest x-ray
Sternal angles
- marks the 2nd rib,which helps establish the 2nd interspace for needle insertion or
- locations for cardiac auscultation (aortic and pulmonary areas)
4th intercostal space
normally used to chest tube insertion
When percussing, large pneuomthorax produces what sound
- hyperresonant
- great deal of air in the chest with a large pneumothorax, producing a hyperresonant note
Bronchial
- lung sound louder and higher in pitch
- short silence between inspiration and expiration
- expiration longer than inspiration
- -reason - sound from trachea is carried very well to chest wall by fluid
late inspiratory crackles might be indicative of
- heart failure
- timing of crackles within inspiration provides important clues
early inspiratory crackles
COPD and asthma
adventitious sounds that clear with a cougn are usually consistent with
bronchitis or atelectasis
myocardium pain
angina pectoris, MI, myocarditis
pericardium pain
pericarditis
aorta
dissecting aortic aneurysm
trachea and large bronchi
bronchitis
parietal pleura
pericarditis, pneumonia, pneumothorax, pleural effusion, pulmonary embolus