Paediatrics Flashcards
What are the most common causes of pneumonia?
- Neonates = group B strep
- Infants = strep pneumoniae
- Children = strep pneumoniae/staph aureus/group A strep
What is the investigation/finding and management for pneumonia?
- CXR = consolidation
- Supportive management
- Oxygen (if severe)
- Abx (amoxicillin/co-amoxiclav/erythromycin)
- Mycoplasma pneumonia = macrolides (azithromycin/erythromycin)
Describe croup
- 6 months - 3 years
- Peak incidence at 2 years
- More common in males
- Parainfluenza virus
- 1-4 day history
- Sx worse at night
- Barking cough
- Hoarse voice
- Stridor
- Fever/rhinorrhoea
- Single oral dose of dexamethasone or prednisolone
- Nebulised adrenaline
Describe roseola infantum
- Self limiting
- Human herpes virus type 6
- Febrile illness followed by rash with blanching papules
- Patient is well
- No exclusion from school
What are red flag sx in respiratory?
- Drowsiness/decreased consciousness
- Tachypnoea (>60)
- Intercostal recession
- Cyanosis
- Laboured breathing
How is croup severity calculated?
Westley Croup Score
- Mild = 0-2
- Moderate = 3-5
- Severe = 6-11
- Impending respiratory failure = 12-17
What criteria is included in the Westley Croup Score?
- SaO2 <92%
- Stridor
- Retractions
- Air entry
- Consciousness
What is a common differential diagnosis for croup?
Epiglottitis (shorter time course and more severe)
Describe acute epiglottitis
- Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib)
- Acute onset (hours)
- Tripoding (lean forward with mouth open and tongue out)
- Sore throat/SOB/fever
- Drooling
- Stridor
- DON’T EXAMINE THROAT
- CXR (thumb sign)
- O2
- Nebulised adrenaline
- Secure airway/tracheostomy
- Fluids
- Abx (if underlying infection) e.g. ceftriaxone
What is an important preventative measure for acute epiglottitis?
- 6-in-1 DTaP/IPV/Hib vaccination
- At 8/12/16 weeks
- Booster at 1 year
Describe asthma
- Risk factors = genetics (atopy)/prematurity/low birth weight/not breastfed/exposure to allergens
- Episodic wheeze
- Dry cough (often worse at night)
- Chest tightness
- SOB
- Reduced peak flow
- Diurnal variability
- FEV1 reduced
- FVC normal
- FEV1:FVC <70%
What is the long-term management for asthma in children?
- SABA PRN (salbutamol)
- ICS (beclomethasone)
- LRTA (montelukast)
- Stop LRTA and add LABA (salmeterol)
- Switch ICS/LABA for ICS MART (formoterol and ICS)
- Add separate LABA
- Increase ICS dose and refer
What is the long-term amanagement for asthma in children <5?
- SABA PRN (salbutamol)
- SABA + 8 week trial of ICS (restart if sx reoccur within 4 weeks)
- Refer
What is the management for acute asthma?
Acute - O SHIT ME
1. Oxygen
2. Salbutamol nebulisers (SABA)
3. Hydrocortisone IV or oral prednisolone (steroids)
4. Ipratropium bromide nebulisers (SAMA)
5. Theophylline/aminophylline
6. IV magnesium sulphate
7. Escalate
What is the criteria for life threatening asthma?
- SpO2 <92%
- PEFR <33% predicted
- Silent chest
- Poor respiratory effort
- Altered consciousness
- Agitation/confusion
- Exhaustion
- Cyanosis
Describe viral induced wheeze
- RSV/rhinovirus
- Evidence of viral illness (fever/cough/coryzal sx 1-2 days prior)
- SOB
- Signs of respiratory distress
- Expiratory wheeze throughout chest
- Manage same as asthma
Describe bronchiolitis
- Children <2 (3-6 months)
- Very common
- Peaks in winter/spring
- RSV
- Risk factors = breastfeeding <2 months/smoke exposure/older siblings who attend nursery/school/chronic lung disease of prematurity
- 2-5 day history
- Coryzal symptoms (fever/nasal congestion/rhinorrhoea)
- Cough
- Reduced feeding
- Bilateral wheeze
- Bilateral crepitations
- Nasopharyngeal aspirate/throat swab
- Supportive management/Palivizumab
What is cystic fibrosis?
Autosomal recessive genetic condition caused by mutation of CFTR gene on chromosome 7
What are common microbial colonisers in CF?
- Staph aureus
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa
- Haemophilus influenzae
How does CF affect the respiratory tract?
- Recurrent LRTIs
- Chronic cough
- Thick sputum
- Crackles and wheeze
- Nasal polyps
- Chest hyperinflation
How does CF affect the pancreas?
- Pancreatitis
- Pancreatic insufficiency (steatorrhoea due to lack of fat digesting enzymes)
How does CF affect the GI tract?
- Bowel obstruction in-utero (meconium ileus)
- Cholestasis in-utero (neonatal jaundice)
- Distal intestinal obstruction syndrome
- Steatorrhoea (due to lack of fat digesting enzymes)
How does CF affect the reproductive tract?
Congenital bilateral absence of vas deferens = male infertility
What are investigations for CF?
- Genetic testing for CFTR gene (amniocentesis/CVS/blood test)
- Meconium ileus + abdominal distension + vomiting
- Newborn heel prick test
- Bloods = immunoreactive trypsinogen (high)
- Sweat test (cause skin to sweat and test Cl- conc)
- CXR (hyperinflation)