Respiratory Flashcards
(184 cards)
What is pleural effusion?
- collection of fluid in the pleural cavity
- can be exudative (high protein) or transudative (low protein)
- causes lung compression
What are exudative causes of pleural effusion?
- inflammatory: protein leaks out of tissue into pleural space
- lung cancer
- pneumonia
- autoimmune: RA, SLE
- TB
What are transudative causes of pleural effusion?
- caused by fluid shift into pleural space
- heart, liver or renal failure
- hypoalbuminaemia
- myxoedema
- ascites
What are the symptoms of pleural effusion?
- breathlessness
- cough
- pain and fever
What are the signs of pleural effusion?
- reduced chest wall expansion
- quiet breath sounds
- dull percussion
- mediastinal shift away from affected side
What investigations are done for pleural effusions and what does it show?
- CXR
- blunting of costophrenic angle
- fluid in lung fissures
- meniscus and tracheal/mediastinal deviation
- ultrasound
What is the treatment of pleural effusion?
- conservative management of cause
- pleural aspiration
- chest drain
What are the criteria for pleural infection?
- pH <7.2
- glucose < 3.3 mmol/L
- PF LDH > 1000IU/L
- bacterial growth
- macroscopic appearance of pus
What is empyema?
- infected pleural effusion
- improving pneumonia but new/ongoing fever
How is empyema investigated and treated?
- aspiration: pus, acidic pH, low glucose, high LDH
- chest drain to remove pus and antibiotics
What are the causes of empyema?
- community: S. milleri, S. pneumoniae, S. aureus
- Hospital: MRSA, enterococcus
What investigations are done for pneumothorax and what do these show?
- erect chest X-ray
- area between lung tissue and chest wall with no lung markings
- line demarcating where pneumothorax begins
- CT can detect smaller pneumothorax
How is pneumothorax managed?
- <2cm rim and no SOB: no treatment, follow up 2-4 weeks
- > 2cm rim/SOB: aspiration and reassessment
What are risk factors for pneumothorax?
- COPD, asthma, CF, lung cancer
- Marfan’s, RA
- ventilation
- smoking
What is pulmonary hypertension?
- inc resistance and pressure in pulmonary arteries
- causes strain on RHS of heart
- back pressure in systemic venous system
What are the 5 groups of causes of pulmonary hypertension?
- primary/connective tissue disease: SLE
- left HF: due to MI, htn
- chronic lung disease: COPD
- pulmonary vascular disease: PE
- misc: e.g. sarcoidosis
What is the presentation of pulmonary hypertension?
- shortness of breath
- syncope
- tachycardia
- raised JVP
- hepatomegaly
- peripheral oedema
What investigations are done for pulmonary hypertension?
- ECG change: RV hypertrophy, R axis deviation, RBBB
- CXR: dilated pulmonary arteries, RV hypertrophy
- Echo
What is the management of pulmonary hypertension?
- IV prostanoids e.g. epoprostenol
- endothelin receptor antagonist e.g. macitentan
- phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor e.g. sildenafil
What is sarcoidosis?
- granulomatous inflammatory condition
- nodules of inflammation full of macrophages
What is the epidemiology of sarcoidosis?
- young adulthood or around age 60
- more frequent in black patients
What are the pulmonary manifestations of sarcoidosis?
- bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy with pulmonary infiltrates and fibrosis
- dry cough, progressive dyspnoea, chest pain
What are the extra pulmonary presentations of sarcoidosis?
- uveitis, conjunctivitis
- cirrhosis
- erythema nodosum
- fever, fatigue, weight loss
What investigations are done in sarcoidosis?
- CXR and high res CT
- raised serum ACE and IL-2 receptor
- hypercalcaemia