Respiratory System & Head Injuries

Alveolar Cavity

Where the exchange of O2 and CO2 take place

Tidal volume

Amount of air inhaled & exhaled with normal breathing

Vital capacity

Normal exhalation followed by forcing air out of lungs

Cheyne Strokes Respiration

Abnormal pattern of breathing

Gradually increasing & decreasing tidal volume, interspersed with periods of apnea, hospice staff associates this with irregular breathing as patient nears death

Biot's respiration

Cluster breathing

Diminished breath

Absent or decreased, heard in COPD & Pneumonia

Bronchial breath

Inspiration is Shorter than Expiration

Tubular, louder, higher pitch

Rales/crackles

Discontinuous crackling, clicking, rattling from fluid. Could be CHF. Always abnormal.

Wheezing

High pitched whistling "musical rhonchi" from phlegm, asthma- pushes breath out.

Rubs

Low pitched grating or creaking from inflammatory pleursy

Stridor

High pitched crowing/ whooping cough

Retractions

Visible indenting on inspiration

Very bad sign

Rhonchi

Abnormal or adventitious sound heard when listening to the chest as the person breathes. This can happen when the airway is partially obstructed owing to secretions, mucosal swelling, or tumor tissue pressing the passage. Gurgling noises heard on auscultation of the lungs with a stethoscope during inhalation or exhalation. Patients having COPD & acute/severe bronchitis.

Pleural Effusion

abnormal accumulation of fluid in the pleural space

pneumothroax

-trachiae shifts away from affected side

subdural head injury

-acute due to injury

-slurred speech, impaired gait, dizziness, coma, death

epidural head injury

-2% of head injuries

-very serious = immediate medical intervention

-fixed and dilated pupils positioned down and out on the side of the injury

-unilateral weakness on side of injury, loss of visual feed opposite injury