Initial Assessment of the Critically Ill Patient - Examination - Airway and Breathing

13 important questions on Initial Assessment of the Critically Ill Patient - Examination - Airway and Breathing

What effect does hypoxemia usually have on the cognitive functions?

Agitation and confusion.

What effect does hypercapnia usually have on the cognitive functions?

Depression of the level of consciousness.

What does periodic breathing and apneas indicate?

Cheyne-Stokes respiration usually indicates severe brain stem injury or cardiac dysfunction.
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When can pulse oximetry be unreliable?

Hypovolemia, hypotension or hypothermia.

What indicates a partial airway obstruction?

Noisy breathing: grunting, stridor, wheezing, gurgling).
And an inability to talk

What can cause an airway obstruction? (7)

  • Direct trauma
  • Blood
  • Foreign body
  • CNS depression (blockage of soft tissue or the tongue)
  • Infection
  • Inflammation
  • Laryngospasm

What does an increase in the depth of respiration indicate?

Kussmaul breathing can indicate severe metabolic acidosis.

What can you observe during inspection in A?

  • Obvious signs of obstruction (vomitus, blood or a foreign object)
  • Respiratory rate
  • Pattern of breathing (shallow, asymmetric)
  • Use of accessory respiratory muscles
  • Cyanosis
  • Paradoxical respiration
  • Tracheal shift

What is the most important indicator of critical illness?

Tachypnea

What is pulsus paradoxus and of what is it a sign?

>10 mmhg decrease of systolic pressure during inspiration
It can occur in profound hypovolemia, pericarditis, cardiac tamponade, asthma and COPD>

What results in a palpable thrill?

turbulent blood flow through a stenotic heart valve or a septal defect

In addition to ABC s, a  quick external examination should focus on?

pallor, cyanois, diaphoresis, jaundic , erythema and flushing?
Clubbing is associated with: hypoxia ( trommelstokvingers)
  • Lung disease:
  • Heart disease:

How do you determine the patients physiological reserve?

Age,
Severe comorbidities
physiological abnormalitis
Cognitive dysfunction

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