NURS 209 EXAM 2 TOPIC 6

Hypercapnia

- Increase of Carbon Dioxide in the blood

Hypoxemia

- Decrease of Oxygen in the blood

Surfactant

- complex lipid substance needed for sustained inflation of the air sacs in the lungs

Physiologic Dyspnea

- an increased awareness of the need to breathe during pregnancy

Hemoptysis

- coughing up blood

Orthopnea

- difficulty breathing when supine

Platypnea

- difficulty breathing when upright

Paroxysmal Nocturnal Dyspnea

- awakening from sleep with Shortness of breath (SOB) and needing to be upright to achieve comfort

Tripod Position

- sitting position while leaning forward with arms braced on knees/table/chair arms to aid in expiration of CO2. common with COPD

Intercostal muscle retractions

- Drawing in of the soft tissue between the ribs during inspiration. An indication of working hard to breathe and respiratory distress

Crepitus

- coarse crackling sensation palpable over the skin surface

Resonance

- low pitch, clear, hollow sound

- normal percussion sound over the lungs

Hyperresonance

- lower pitched booming sound found with percussion of overinflation of the

lungs

Dull

- soft muffled thud sound of percussion of a dense area

Crackles (rales)

- adventitious lung sound of discontinuous popping sounds heard with

inspiration, can be fine or coarse

Rhonchi

- Snore-like adventitious lung sound; mostly heard with expiration

Wheeze

- Musical and whistle-like adventitious lung sound; Heard on inspiration and expiration

Kyphosis

- outward curvature of the thoracic spine, "humpback"

Tachypnea

- rapid, shallow breathing

- > 24/min

Bradypnea

- Low breathing

- < 10/min

Hyperventilation

- Increased rate and depth of breathing; blowing off CO2 causing a decreased level in the blood

Hypoventilation

- Irregular shallow pattern of breathing

Cheyne-Stokes Respirations

- Regular pattern of increasing depth then decreasing depth until

apnea occurs

- Seen in severe heart failure, renal failure, meningitis, drug overdose, increased intracranial pressure

Biot Respirations

- Irregular pattern of a series of normal respirations (3-4) followed by a period

of apnea

- Seen in head trauma, brain abcess, heat stroke, spinal meningitis, and encephalitis

Increased Tactile Fremitus

- Occurs with conditions that increase the density of the lung tissue;

thereby making a better conducting medium for vibrations.

(occurs with compression or consolidation like with pneumonia)

Consolidation

- filling of air spaces in the lungs with fluid, blood, pus, or other substances

Decreased Tactile Fremitus

- Occurs when anything obstructs transmissions of vibrations

(occurs with obstructed bronchus, pleural effusion or thickening, pneumothorax, or emphysema)

Rhoncal Fremitus

- Vibration felt when inhaled air passes through thick secretion in the larger bronchus. May be decreased somewhat with coughing

Pleural Friction Fremitus

- Produced when inflammation of the parietal or visceral pleura causes a decrease in the normal lubricating fluid

- The opposing surfaces make a coarse grating sound when rubbed together during breathing and may be palpable

- It feels like two pieces of leather grating together and occurs during respiratory excursion