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25 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What type of hypersensitive reaction is an asthma attack? |
Type 1 hypersensitivity reaction (IgE antibody mediated reaction) |
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What is asthma? |
Chronic inflammatory disorder of the lungs |
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What are the main characteristics of asthma? |
- wheezing - dyspnoea - cough - chest tightness |
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What are the 3 main pathological events that occur during an asthma attack? |
1) Bronchial smooth muscle spasms: clamps down on the airway 2) Mucosal oedema: vasodilation and increased capillary permeability is a response of cytokines release and causes the mucosal layer to swell 3) Increased production of mucosa by the the mucosal glands |
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What are some signs that a person is having an asthma attack? |
1) dyspnoea 2) expiratory wheeze 3) cough 4) chest tightness 5) tachycardia 6) tachypnoea |
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What are some signs of severe episodes of asthma attack? |
- wheeze on both expiration and inspiration - use of accessory muscles |
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What is pulsus paradoxus? |
Exaggerated decrease in systolic blood pressure during inspiration |
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What are the typical arterial blood gas findings seen in acute asthma? |
- hypoxaemia (decreases Pa02) - hypocapnia (decreased PaC02) - respiratory alkalosis (blood pH level above 7.45 |
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A person’s breathing during an asthma attack would be characterised by? |
Expiratory wheeze |
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What is the gold standard test for diagnosis and monitoring of asthma? |
Spirometry |
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What does spirometry measure? |
How much and how quickly air can be expired from the lungs |
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What is status asthmaticus? |
Asthmatic episode that does not respond to medications |
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What position would you place someone in who is having an asthma attack to assist with their breathing? |
High fowlers (head of bed raised to 40-90 degree angle) |
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What is the most earliest sign of an asthma attack? |
Anxiety |
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What is hypoxemia? |
Low level of oxygen in the blood |
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What signs would indicate a patient may have hypoxaemia? |
Anxiety Restlessness Confusion |
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What steps would you take to improve patient status during an asthma attack? |
1) administer prescribed fast acting bronchodilator 2) administer supplemental oxygen to achieve o2 saturations above 90% 3) administer systemic corticosteroids |
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How do fast acting bronchodilators work? |
They relieve bronchoconstriction by blocking beta-2 agonists causing relaxation of bronchial smooth muscle |
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How do systemic corticosteroids work? |
By reducing airway inflammation |
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What is an example of a fast acting bronchodilator? |
Salbutamol |
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What is an example of a systemic corticosteroid? |
Prednisone |
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A complication of chronic asthma is? |
Pneumothorax |
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How do reliever medications work? |
- Provide acute relief of symptoms - relieve bronchoconstriction by blocking beta-2 agonists which relaxes bronchial smooth muscle - examples: salbutamol and terbataline |
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What are some side effects of salbutamol? |
- muscle tremors or shaky - headache - nervousness - muscle cramps |
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How does aminophylline work? |
Same as fast acting bronchodilators - relieves bronchoconstriction by relaxing bronchial smooth muscle to cause bronchodilation |
