Thorax & Lungs Flashcards
Ventilation
movement of air in and out of the lungs
What are the primary functions of the pulmonary system?
Ventilation (movement of air in and out of the lungs)
External respiration (diffusion of gases across the alveolar-capillary membrane)
acinus
a functional respiratory unit that consists of the bronchioles, alveolar ducts, alveolar sacs, and the alveoli.
Describe the color of sputum for pulmonary edema
pink frothy
Describe the color of sputum for Bacterial infections
yellow or green
Describe the color of sputum for tuberculosis & pneumococcal pneumonia
rust colored
Describe the color of sputum for cold, bronchitis & viral infections
white or clear
The sudden onset of breathing difficulty that develops during sleep and often causes the patient to either sit straight upright in bed or stand up.
paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea
Difficulty breathing when lying down (often measured in the number of pillows the patient needs to sleep comfortably)
orthopnea
What are “pack years”?
the number of packs the patient smokes per day by the number of years the person has smoked
sequelae
consequences of a disease
What are two common respiratory-related health-screening activities?
Chest x-ray
TB test
What two immunizations are important for older adults, in particular, to consider?
Pneumococcal vaccine
Influenza vaccine
People who work in coal mines have an increased risk of:
pneumoconiosis
Patient with COPD display what type of breathing in efforts to maintain positive expiratory pressures in the lung?
pursed-lip breathing
Patients w/ COPD sit in which position to maximize their lung volume?
tripod position
Patients w/ COPD may use what to overcome airway obstruction and atelectasis?
accessory muscles
respiratory excursion
the movement of the diaphragm that occurs during inspiration
Tactile Fremitus
palpable vibration
Sounds generated from the larynx are transmitted through patent bronchi and through the lung parenchyma to the chest wall, where you feel them as vibrations
test for vibrations bilaterally using the phrase “ninety nine” (except between the scapulae, where the bronchial bifurcation is closer on the right side, which makes the vibrations stronger)
Decreased fremitus
occurs when anything obstructs transmission of vibrations (e.g., obstructed bronchus, pleural effusion or thickening, pneumothorax, or emphysema). Any barrier that comes between the sound and your palpating hand will decrease fremitus.
Increased fremitus
occurs with compression or consolidation of lung tissue (e.g., lobar pneumonia). This is present only when the bronchus is patent and when the consolidation extends to the lung surface. Note that only gross changes increase fremitus. Small areas of early pneumonia do not significantly affect fremitus
Rhonchal fremitus
is palpable with thick bronchial secretions.
Pleural friction fremitus
is palpable with inflammation of the pleura
Crepitus
a coarse, crackling sensation palpable over the skin surface. It occurs in subcutaneous emphysema when air escapes from the lung and enters the subcutaneous tissue, as after open thoracic injury or surgery
Abnormal asymmetry of diaphragmatic of excursion is usually due to one of which two problems?
Atelectasis or Pleural effusion
What body position does the patient assume during posterior auscultation of the back?
leaning slightly forward
Patient instructions before auscultating the posterior thorax
“Cross your arms and breath deeply in and out when you feel my stethoscope touch your skin”
Bradypnea (breaths per minute)
slower than 10 breaths per minute
Normal (breaths per minute)
12-20 breaths per minute
Tachypnea (breaths per minute)
> 24 breaths per minute
Hyperventilation (breaths per minute)
> 20 breaths per min. w/ DEEP breathing
Sighing (type of breathing)
normal breaths w/ frequently interspersed DEEP breaths
Cheyne-Stokes (type of breathing)
varying speeds of increasing deep interspersed w/ a period of apnea