Wk 1 Obstructive Airway Conditions Flashcards
(132 cards)
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