Critical Care of Patients With Respiratory Emergencies Flashcards

Practice vocabulary flashcards covering Pulmonary Embolisms, Respiratory Failure, ARDS, Covid-19 management, and chest trauma based on the Chapter 26 lecture notes.

Pulmonary Embolism (PE)

Any substance that enters the venous circulation and causes a blockage, most commonly a blood clot, which travels to the right side of the heart and lodges in the pulmonary artery.

Virchow’s Triad

The three factors that contribute to thrombosis: injury to the vessel wall, venous stasis (abnormal blood flow), and a hypercoagulable state.

Saddle PE

A large, life-threatening embolus that straddles the bifurcation of the main pulmonary artery, blocking both the right and left pulmonary arteries simultaneously.

Computed Tomography Pulmonary Angiography (CTPA)

The gold standard diagnostic test used for identifying a Pulmonary Embolism.

Inferior Vena Cava Filter

A surgical management device placed to prevent blood clots from traveling from the venous circulation into the lungs.

Positive Inotropic Agents

Medications such as Milrinone and Dobutamine used to increase myocardial contractility in patients with hypotension.

Hypoxemic/Oxygenation Failure (Type I ARF)

Failure characterized by a $PaO_2 < 60 mmHg$ with normal or low $PaCO_2$, where airflow is normal but lung blood flow is decreased.

Hypercapnia/Ventilatory Failure (Type II ARF)

Failure characterized by a $PaCO_2 > 50 mmHg$ with a $pH < 7.35$, resulting from inadequate air movement despite normal blood flow.

Refractory Hypoxemia

A key feature of ARDS where hypoxemia persists even when 100 \text{%} $FiO_2$ is administered.

Ground Glass Opacities

Dense pulmonary infiltrates visible on an X-ray that are characteristic of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS).

TRALI

An indirect cause of ARDS resulting from multiple blood transfusions.

Prone Positioning

A technique used to improve oxygenation by placing a patient on their front side for at least $12$ hours per day.

Remdesivir

A medication used in the treatment of Severe Covid-19 that reduces recovery time and mortality in patients using low-flow oxygen.

Cricothyroidotomy

A surgical airway procedure involving an incision into the cricothyroid membrane for placement of an artificial tube.

Tracheostomy

The tracheal stoma (opening) in the neck that results from a tracheotomy, considered if an artificial airway is needed for more than $10$ to $14$ days.

Positive End-Expiratory Pressure (PEEP)

A ventilator setting that can lead to decreased cardiac output and hypotension due to increased intrathoracic pressure if set at high levels ($10$ to $20 cm H_2O$).

Ventilator-Associated Lung Injury (VILI)

Complications of mechanical ventilation including barotrauma, volutrauma, atelectrauma, and biotrauma.

Sedation Vacation

A component of the ventilator weaning process involving a temporary pause in sedation to assess the patient's spontaneous breathing.

Pulmonary Contusion

A potentially lethal chest injury typically occurring during rapid deceleration in a motor vehicle accident, which may lead to respiratory failure and pneumonia.

Flail Chest

The fracture of several consecutive ribs in two or more separate locations, characterized by paradoxical chest movement.

Paradoxical Chest Movement

A hallmark of flail chest where the loose chest segment sucks inward during inspiration and puffs out during expiration.

Tension Pneumothorax

A complication where air enters the pleural space during inspiration but cannot exit, leading to lung collapse, mediastinal shift, and reduced cardiac output.