Respiratory Emergencies Flashcards
(126 cards)
what causes pertussis
bordetella pertussis
describe the incubation period of pertussis and how its spread
- Incubation 1-3 weeks, longer than most URIs
- Highly contagious; person to person via aerosolized droplets
what does pertussis toxin cause
Pertussis toxin causes sloughing of the trachea, inflammation and paralysis of the respiratory cilia, and interference with clearing of respiratory tract
A 5 month old infant is brought to the ED with a 5 day history of a cough The parents state he has had episodes of not breathing for up to 10 seconds during coughing spells and has turned blue around his mouth. Child is not vaccinated, secondary to “autism” concerns
Vital signs: RR 30 HR 140, pulse oximetry 94%, temp 98.8 R. Pulm: no wheezes, rales, or diminished breath sounds noted
pertussis “whooping cough”
**cough cough cough puke”
characteristics of pertussis
- Mean duration of cough is 36-48 days (paroxsymal coughing spells that lasts for months)
- Coughing may lead to vomiting, incontinence, choking, syncope, rib fractures or possibly carotid artery dissection.
- Infants can get secondary bacterial pneumonia leading cause of death or encephalopathy
describe the stages of pertussis
Catarrhal stage: sneezing, low grade fever, cough. Most infectious at this time. 1-2 weeks.
Paroxysmal stage: burst of numerous rapid coughs, then whooping on inspiration. May become cyanotic during attack. Post tussive emesis. 1-6 weeks; may last 10 weeks
Convalescent stage: paroxysms recur when ever the patient gets a respiratory infection. 2-3 months
clinical dx of pertussis
- CDC definition is 14 days of continuous cough with either:
- Paroxysms of cough
- Inspiratory whoop
- Post-tussive emesis
- Apnea, w/ or w/o cyanosis (infants less than 1 yr.) (**cyanosis in babies)
labs for pertussis
Culture and PCR
- culture sensitivity is highest in first two wks.
- Between 2-4 wks, both culture and PCR are options; PCR is quite a bit faster (culture takes 7 days)
- Serology if over 4weeks of cough
*treat presumptively in ED– no rapid test to dx
tx of pertussis
- Isolation- Patient must remain in isolation until abx course is completed
- Macrolides (Zpack) for patient and close contacts advised
- Acellular pertussis vaccines available.
-Recommended one time in combination with dT – DTaP (less than 7yo) or Tdap (less than7 yo)
011-12 yrs; 13-18 yrs; or 19-65 yrs
pertussis prevention
- Vaccinate
- Infants get vaccine at 2,4,6 months; 15-18mo; then 4-6yrs
- Waning immunity over time, but even at 5 years, still have 70% immunity
- Upper case “T” means there is about the same amount of tetanus in DTaP, Tdap and Td.
- Upper case “D” and “P” means there is more diphtheria and pertussis in DTaP than in Tdap and Td; lower case letters (“d” “p”) means there is less.
A 30 year old male presents to your clinic with the c/c of a cough for two weeks. He has had mild URI symptoms which have resolved but still has a cough keeping him up at night. Cough is nonproductive. He does not smoke, and has no other medical problems.
Vital signs normal. Pulmonary exam: occasional wheezes bilaterally. Remainder of his exam is normal
bronchitis
*usually clinical dx
cause of bronchitis
usually fever
presentation of bronchitis
- Usually no fever
- no abnl vitals
- Acute cough less than 2wks
- No h/o chronic lung disease
- NL CXR
- No crackles/rhonchi
tx of bronchitis
sx management
- Nasal steroid (flonase)
- Bronchodilator (albuterol to help w/ wheezing)
- Cough suppressant (vicodin– anti-tussive)
- Smoking cessation
- Anti tussives
- **Antibiotics only if treating pertussis (Zpack)
*take cough suppressant at night to get sleep but what to get some sleep so cough it up during day
phase of cough
- Deep inspiration
- Closure of glottis with rapid increase in pleural pressure
- Opening release of glottis with explosive release of pressure
Defense Mechanism:
Clears secretions and inhaled particles
common causes of acute cough
- Inflammation- bronchitis, pneumonia
- Irritation- Environmental pollutants
- Bronchospasm
- Other-PE, ACE- I and ARBs
common causes of chronic cough
- Inflammation- Bronchitis, pollution, chronic aspiration
- Irritation- Cigarettes, cancer, Post nasal drip
- Bronchospasm- Asthma, CHF
- Other- psychogenic, ACE-I and ARBs
4 common types of cough
- dry
- barking
- stridor
- wet cough
evaluation of cough
- History of constant throat clearing or swallowing associated with post nasal drip
- CXR most common finding is normal (r/o FB, CHF, pleural effusion)
- Always think FB in peds
- PFT’s
- Bronchoscopy
- Lung biopsy
tx of benign cough/bronchitis
- Tincture of time
- Bronchodilators if wheezing; steroids prn
- Smoking cessation
- Anti-tussives
- Anesthetize peripheral irritant receptors- Benzonatate (tessalon pearls- non-narcotic option)
- Increase threshold of cough center- Dextromethorphan or Narcotics - Expectorants - guaifenesin
- Humidification
- Fluids
An 18 year old male comes to your urgent care with his mom with the complaint of coughing up blood. He has had a productive cough and sinus congestion for 7 days. Today he noticed blood tinged sputum, then coughed up a clot the size of a quarter
Vital signs: normal. On exam he has no focal findings on HEENT, Pulmonary or cardiac exam.
Hemoptysis
what is hemoptyss
- Expectoration of blood from the lungs or bronchotracheal tree
- 90% from the bronchial arteries
MOST common causes of hemoptysis
- Main extrathoracic cause is nosebleeds
- Bronchitis is most common pulmonary cause
-Good history taking required to distinguish between hemoptysis and hematemesis; may be difficult
causes of hemoptysis
- Bronchitis 30-60%
- Lung cancer 20-30%
- Pulmonary embolus
- Hemoptysis in 30% of patients - Tuberculosis
- Leading cause in 3rd world countries