Respiratory: Lower respiratory tract infections Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Respiratory: Lower respiratory tract infections Deck (14)
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1
Q

What are some of the common flora of the upper respiratory tract?

A

Viridans streptococci
Neisseria spp
Anaerobes
Candida

2
Q

What are some defences of the respiratory tract to prevent infection?

A
  • muco-ciliary clearance (nasal hairs, ciliated columnar epithelium of resp tract)
  • cough and sneezing reflex
  • temperature
  • alveolar macrophages
  • lymphoid follicles of pharynx and tonsils
3
Q

What are some common upper respiratory tract infections?

A

Rhinitis (common cold), epiglottis, laryngitis, sinusitis, otitis media.
Most commonly caused by viruses eg rhinovirus, coronavirus, influenza

4
Q

What is acute bronchitis?

A

Inflammation of the medium sized airways often in smokers. Get cough, fever, increased sputum and shortness of breath.
Caused by viruses, s pneumoniae, H influenzea

5
Q

What is pneumonia?

A

Inflammation of the lung alveoli causing exudation of fibrin rich fluid and infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages

6
Q

How can pneumonia be classified?

A
  • by clinical setting eg community or hospital acquired
  • by presentation eg acute or chronic
  • by lung pathology eg lobar, bronchopneumonia (patchy), interstitial pneumonia
  • by organism
7
Q

What are the causative organisms of community acquired pneumonia?

A

85% typical eg s pneumoniae, h influenzae

15% atypical eg legionella (from travel)

8
Q

What are the symptoms of pneumonia?

A

Shortness of breath, fever, pleuritic chest pain, malaise, nausea, vomiting
Cough +/- sputum (may be yellow or rusty)

9
Q

What would you expect to find when examining a lung with pneumonia?

A

Dullness to percussion
Bronchial breathing
Crackles

10
Q

How do you assess the severity of pneumonia?

A

Use the CURB 65 score

Measure of severity which is used to decide whether to admit pt to hospital and manage as severe

11
Q

Which antibiotics are used for community acquired pneumonia?

A

Mild/moderate: amoxicillin or
doxycycline or erythromycin

Moderate/severe:
Co-amoxiclav and either clarithromycin or doxycycline (effective in atypical organisms)

12
Q

What are the causative organisms of hospital acquired pneumonia?

A

staph aureus, pseudomonas, h influenzae

13
Q

Which antibiotics are used for hospital acquired pneumonia?

A

First use co-amoxiclav

14
Q

What is aspiration pneumonia and who is at risk?

A

Aspiration of exogenous material into the respiratory tract
It is common in pts with neurological dysphagia, epilepsy, alcoholics, drowning
At risk groups are nursing home residents and drug overdosers

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