Help
Options
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Respiratory
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Ventilation | The mechanical movement of air into and out of the lungs |
| Gas Exchange (Diffusion) | Movement of O2 into blood and CO2 out of blood across the alveolar-capillary membrane |
| Perfusion | Delivery of oxygenated blood to tissues and organs |
| V/Q Ratio | Ratio comparing ventilation to perfusion; healthy average is around 0.8 |
| V/Q Mismatch | When ventilation and perfusion are not appropriately matched, reducing gas exchange efficiency |
| Physiological Dead Space | Ventilation present but no perfusion (e.g., Zone 1 of lung, capillary collapse) |
| Absolute Dead Space | Ventilation with zero perfusion (e.g., pulmonary embolism, trachea/bronchi) |
| Absolute Physiological Shunt | Perfusion present but zero ventilation; blood bypasses gas exchange entirely |
| Work of Breathing (WOB) | The effort/energy required to breathe; increases with respiratory disease |
| Oxyhemoglobin | Hemoglobin bound to oxygen |
| Oxygen-Hemoglobin Dissociation Curve | Sigmoidal graph relating PO2 to hemoglobin saturation |
| P50 | Partial pressure of O2 at which hemoglobin is 50% saturated |
| Bohr Effect | Increased CO2/decreased pH reduces Hb affinity for O2, shifting curve right, aiding O2 release to tissues |
| 2,3-DPG | Byproduct of RBC glycolysis that reduces Hb-O2 affinity, shifting curve right |
| Right Shift (dissociation curve) | Decreased Hb affinity for O2, more unloading (caused by increased CO2, decreased pH, increased temp, increased 2,3-DPG) |
| Left Shift (dissociation curve) | Increased Hb affinity for O2, less unloading (caused by decreased CO2, increased pH, decreased temp, decreased 2,3-DPG, fetal Hb) |
| Peripheral Chemoreceptors | Located in carotid/aortic bodies; detect decreased O2, decreased pH, increased CO2, stimulate increased respiratory rate |
| Central Chemoreceptors | Located in medulla; detect CO2/pH changes in CSF, drive respiratory rate |
| Hering-Breuer Reflex | Stretch receptor reflex preventing lung overinflation by suppressing respiration |
| Medullary Respiratory Centers | Ventral (rhythmicity) and dorsal (inspiration trigger) groups controlling breathing |
| Asthma | Chronic inflammatory disease of lower airways with reversible airflow obstruction and bronchial hyperresponsiveness |
| Bronchospasm | Contraction of bronchial smooth muscle narrowing the airway |
| Mucosal Oedema | Swelling/inflammation of the airway lining in asthma |
| Mucus Hypersecretion | Excess mucus production that can obstruct smaller airways |
| Silent Chest | Absence of wheeze due to critically reduced airflow; life-threatening sign |
| Air Trapping | Air remaining in lungs after breath due to difficulty exhaling |
| Hyperinflation | Progressive lung over-expansion from air trapping |
| Mast Cells | Immune cells that release histamine upon allergen-IgE binding, causing asthma symptoms |
| COPD | Progressive disease with persistent, irreversible airflow limitation; umbrella term for chronic bronchitis and emphysema |
| Chronic Bronchitis | Airway-focused COPD with chronic inflammation, excess mucus, thickened walls ("blue bloater") |
| Emphysema | Alveoli-focused COPD with destruction of alveolar walls, loss of elastic recoil ("pink puffer") |
| Blue Bloater | Chronic bronchitis patient; cyanotic, bloated appearance due to hypoxemia and air trapping |
| Pink Puffer | Emphysema patient; adequate O2 sat, pursed-lip breathing, barrel chest, thin build |
| Barrel Chest | Increased AP chest diameter from chronic hyperinflation (emphysema) |
| Pursed-Lip Breathing | Technique slowing exhalation to prevent airway collapse |
| Cor Pulmonale | Right-sided heart failure secondary to chronic pulmonary hypertension from COPD |
| Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency | Inherited condition causing early-onset emphysema |
| AECOPD | Acute exacerbation of COPD, sudden worsening of symptoms, often infection-triggered |
| URTI | Upper respiratory tract infection - nose, sinuses, pharynx, larynx; minimal gas exchange impact |
| LRTI | Lower respiratory tract infection - trachea to lungs; affects ventilation/gas exchange |
| Influenza | Contagious viral infection with sudden onset, high fever, myalgia, severe fatigue |
| COVID-19 | Viral illness causing inflammation impairing gas exchange; may cause "silent hypoxia" |
| RSV | Common virus causing bronchiolitis in infants; cold-like symptoms in adults |
| Pneumonia | Lung infection where alveoli fill with fluid/pus/debris, impairing gas exchange |
| Silent Hypoxia | Hypoxemia without obvious respiratory distress (seen in COVID-19) |
| CAPERS Mnemonic | Conscious state, Chest/breath sounds, Appearance, Pulse rate, Effort, Respiratory rate, Rhythm, Speech, Skin, SpO2 |
| ACVPU | Conscious state scale: Alert, Confused, Voice, Pain, Unresponsive |
| Tachypnoea | Increased respiratory rate; early compensatory response |
| Bradypnoea | Decreased respiratory rate; late sign of fatigue/impending arrest |
| Apnoea | Absence of respirations; requires immediate intervention |
| Cheyne-Stokes Respiration | Alternating increasing/decreasing depth with apnoea periods; neurological/cardiac significance |
| Biot's Respiration | Irregular clusters of similar-depth breaths with apnoea; brain injury sign |
| Kussmaul Respiration | Deep, rapid, gasping pattern ("air hunger"); seen in metabolic acidosis (DKA) |
| Ataxic Respiration | Grossly irregular pattern with unpredictable apnoea; poor prognosis, significant brain injury |
| Pulse Oximetry Limitations | Does not measure ventilation/CO2; affected by poor perfusion, movement, nail polish, cold extremities |
| Vesicular Breath Sounds | Normal soft, low-pitched sounds heard over peripheral lung |
| Bronchial Breath Sounds | Louder, harsher sounds normally heard centrally; abnormal if heard peripherally |
| Wheeze | Continuous, musical sound (usually expiratory) from narrowed intrathoracic airways |
| Crackles | Brief, discontinuous sounds from fluid/secretions/airway opening (fine or coarse) |
| Stridor | Harsh, high-pitched sound (usually inspiratory) from upper airway narrowing |
| Rhonchi | Loud, low-pitched, coarse sounds from air passing over secretions |
| Pleural Rub | Low-pitched, dry, rubbing sound from inflamed pleural tissue |
| Tracheal Tug | Downward tracheal movement with inspiration; sign of increased work of breathing |
| Subcutaneous Emphysema | Air in subcutaneous tissue, felt as crepitus on palpation |
| Orthopnoea | Difficulty breathing when lying flat |
| Paroxysmal Nocturnal Dyspnoea | Sudden difficulty breathing after a period of sleep |
| Platypnoea | Difficulty breathing when sitting upright |
| Poiseuille's Law | Resistance is inversely proportional to the 4th power of airway radius; explains rapid paediatric deterioration with small airway changes |
| Preferential Nasal Breathing | Infants breathe primarily through the nose for first few months of life |
| Functional Residual Capacity (FRC) | Air remaining in lungs after passive exhale; smaller in children, meaning less O2 reserve |
| Narrowest Point (paediatric airway) | Traditionally cricoid cartilage (funnel-shaped); newer data suggests glottis, cylindrical |
| Higher Oxygen Consumption (children) | Around 6-9 mL/kg/min vs. around 3-4 mL/kg/min in adults |
| Omega-Shaped Epiglottis | Infant epiglottis shape - longer, narrower, floppier than adult |
| Sniffing Position | Neutral head position achieved with shoulder roll to align paediatric airway axes |
| Croup (Laryngotracheobronchitis) | Viral infection causing subglottic inflammation; barking cough, inspiratory stridor |
| Steeple Sign | X-ray finding of subglottic narrowing in croup |
| Spasmodic Croup | Recurrent croup episodes with rapid onset, often overnight, in otherwise well children |
| Bronchiolitis | Viral infection of bronchioles in infants under 12 months; RSV most common cause |
| Foreign Body Airway Obstruction (FBAO) | Sudden airway obstruction by object; common ages 6 months to 3 years |
| Epiglottitis | Bacterial infection of epiglottis; drooling, tripod position, rapid onset - medical emergency |
| Thumb Sign | X-ray finding of swollen epiglottis in epiglottitis |
| PAT | Rapid visual assessment tool for paediatric illness severity: Appearance, Work of Breathing, Circulation to Skin |
| TICLS | Tone, Interactiveness, Consolability, Look/Gaze, Speech/Cry - mnemonic for assessing Appearance |
| Acrocyanosis | Blue hands/feet in young infants, often normal when cold |
| Mottling | Blotchy skin discoloration indicating poor/uneven perfusion |
| Grunting | Partial glottis closure on exhalation; indicates severe hypoxia |
| Head Bobbing | Use of neck muscles to breathe in infants; sign of severe respiratory distress |
| Nasal Flaring | Widening of nostrils on inspiration; indicates moderate-severe hypoxia |
| Effortless Tachypnoea | Rapid breathing without increased work of breathing; compensatory response in shock |
| Luscombe Formula | Paediatric weight estimate: (age times 3) + 7 = weight (kg) |
| Non-Rebreather Mask | Delivers 60-90% O2 at 10-15 L/min for significant hypoxemia |
| Venturi Mask | Delivers precise lower O2 concentrations (28-40%) at 6-8 L/min |
| Nasal Cannula | Delivers 28-40% O2 (4% per L/min) at 2-4 L/min flow |
| Bag-Valve-Mask | Used for non-breathing/hypoventilating patients; 10-15 L/min to keep reservoir 2/3 full |
Created by:
gtrout
Popular Paramedic/EMT sets