Wk 1 Obstructive Airway Conditions Flashcards
Narrowed airways cause obstruction that is worse on __
Expiration
What problem do narrowed airways cause for the patient?
Increased work of breathing, emptyting of the lungs is slowed
How do we measure emptying of the lungs?
FEV1
All obstructive disease cause what?
V/Q mismatch
What is a V/Q mismatch?
Air and blood in our lungs are not perfectly matched up, which causes the blood to not get oxygenated well enough, causing hypoxemia
When air gets trapped in the lungs (because of narrowed airways), what does this cause?
Hypoventilation, hypercapnia, hypoxemia
__ and __ are present in ALL obstructive diseases
Dyspnea and wheezing
When does air trapping occur?
When the person is not able to fully exhale, can’t get the air out
What does air trapping lead to?
High CO2
What is hypercapnia?
High CO2
When air is trapped in the alveoli itself, what happens?
The person works harder to breathe and lungs are hyperinflated
When normal exhalation is obstructed, this causes
high CO2 and low O2
How do you know if someone has high CO2?
arterial blood gas or venous blood gas, ETCO2 (exhaled CO2 using capnography),
What is asthma?
Chronic inflammation of the bronchial airways (NOT alveoli)
Chronic inflammation in asthma causes what 3 things?
1) bronchial hyperresponsiveness
2) constriction of the airways
3) variable airflow obstruction that is reversible
Asthma is a chronic disease state with…
acute exacerbations
Asthma usually starts in __.
childhood
Asthma is highly associated with __.
allergies
What are the risk factors for asthma?
Familial links, levels of allergen exposure, urban residency, exposure to pollution, tobacco exposure/smoke, recurrent respiratory viral infections, GERD
What triggers asthma?
Exposure to an antigen
Inflammation during an asthma attack causes what 3 things?
hypersecretion of mucus, airway muscle constriction, swelling bronchial membranes
Inflammation in an asthma attack causes narrowing of the breathing passages which looks like…
wheezing, cough, shortness of breath, tightness in chest
What is the most common trigger for an asthma attack?
Exercise
What are other triggers for asthma attacks?
Second hand smoke, climate conditions, pests, pet dander, pollen
What is the early response for asthma?
Cellular responses are activated immediately and the cascade of release of inflammatory mediators occurs within minutes.
What are details of the early response for asthma? (5)
Vasodilation Increased capillary permeability Mucosal edema Bronchial smooth muscle contraction Mucus secretion
When does the late asthmatic response occur?
4-8 hours after early/immediate response
Why does the late response in asthma occur?
The recruitment of eosinophils, neutrophils, and lymphocytes during the early response causes another release of inflammatory mediators inciting the same process
What is something to teach patients with asthma?
If you have a response earlier in the day, you are at a very high risk to have another response later in the day (keep meds nearby)
What happens if a patient doesn’t prevent asthma attacks?
It can lead to airway damage that is irreversible
What is airway remodeling in an asthma patient?
The result of chronic inflammation due to poorly controlled asthma
What does airway remodeling cause?
chronic asthma
What is the #1 symptom of an asthma attack?
Bronchoconstriction
What symptom is the biggest problem and causes the seriousness of asthma?
Inflammation because it causes the airway remodeling long term
For diagnosing asthma, what do we look at in a patient’s health history?
Allergies, recurrent episodes of wheezing, dyspnea, and exercise intolerance
What is the fold standard for diagnosing asthma?
PFTs
What do pulmonary function tests measure?
Lung function with respect to time, (seconds)
What do we look for on the PFT to diagnose asthma?
decreased expiratory flow rate, and decreased FEV1
What is a decreased FEV1?
How much air can a patient blow out in 1 second
Asthma is often __.
misdiagnosed
What are the classic symptoms of asthma?
Wheezing
Shortness of air
Cough
Chest tightness
What are symptoms in a severe asthma attack?
Use of accessory muscle Distant, decreased or absent lung sounds Diaphoresis Inability to speak more than one or two words without taking a breath Eventually, respiratory failure
What are two characteristics of respiratory failure?
Inaudible breath sounds
Repetitive hacking cough
What is the mainstay treatment for asthma attacks?
Low-dose corticosteroids
What is the mainstay treatment for milder asthma symptoms?
Short acting beta-agonist inhaler
Two examples of low-dose corticosteroids used for asthma attacks
PO predniose or hydrocortisone
What medications might a patient be on who has more severe asthmatic symptoms? (4)
Anti-inflammatory medications
INHALED corticosteroids
long acting beta-agonist inhalers
leukotriene antagonists
Why is it important to teach asthma patients about their symptoms?
They often underestimate the severity of an attack or their symptoms
What else can be used to treat an asthma patient?
Immunotherapy such as allergy shots or monoclonal antibody therapy
What is monoclonal antibody therapy?
Cloning of white blood cells
How to measure FEV1?
Peak flow meter
What is asthma classified by?
Degree of control - number of episodes, nocturnal symptoms, PFTs, or peak flow findings