1.1k likes | 2.99k Views
Thorax and Lungs. By B.Lokay , MD, PhD. Anterior Thorax. (Suprasternal notch). Posterior Thorax. Reference Lines. Lobes of Lungs. Lobes of Lungs. Trachea and Pleurae. Pleurae Visceral pleura – lines outside of lungs, dipping down into the fissures
E N D
Thorax and Lungs By B.Lokay, MD, PhD
Anterior Thorax (Suprasternal notch)
Trachea and Pleurae • Pleurae • Visceral pleura – lines outside of lungs, dipping down into the fissures • Parietal Pleura – lines inside of chest wall and diaphragm • Lubricating fluid between the pleurae prevents friction • Trachea and Bronchi • Transport gasses between environment and lung • Dead space is space filled with air (about 150 ml) but not available for gaseous exchange • Goblet cells in bronchi secrete mucus that entraps particles • Cilia in bronchi sweep particles upward
Developmental Considerations • Infants and Children • When cord is cut, blood is cut off from placenta and rushes into pulmonary circulation. Due to less resistance in pulmonary arteries, the foramen ovale closes, along with ductus arteriosus • Lungs grow until about 300 million alveoli in adolescence • Pregnancy • The enlarging uterus elevates the diaphragm 4 cm during pregnancy, but the increased estrogen relaxes thoracic ligaments allowing compensation by increasing the transverse diameter • Mother’s tidal volume increases to meet demands of fetus • Aging • kyphosis • calcification of costal cartilage • decreased vital capacity • decreased number of alveoli • decreased mucous production
Health History • Cough • Onset? Gradual or sudden? Frequency? • Continuous throughout day – acute illness (respiratory infection) • Afternoon/evening – may reflect exposure to irritants at work • Night – postnasal drip, sinusitis • Early morning – chronic bronchial inflammation of smokers • Sputum? How much? Characteristic? • Chronic bronchitis – productive cough for 3 months of the year for 2 years in a row • Characteristics • White of clear mucoid – colds, viral infection, bronchitis • Yellow or green – bacterial infection • Rust colored – TB, pneumococcal pneumonia • Pink, frothy – pulmonary edema, medications? • Cough up blood? • Description of cough – dry, hacking • Associative and Alleviating factors • Painful?
Health History • Shortness of Breath (SOB) • Onset, associative factors • Determine how much activity precipitates SOB • Affected by position? • Orthopnea – difficulty breathing when supine (heart failure?) • Time of day/night • Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea – awakening from sleep with SOB and needing to be upright to achieve comfort • Allergies? • Asthma attacks • Alleviating factors
Health History • Chest pain with breathing? • Location, onset, duration, frequency, intensity, associative and alleviative factors • Past history of respiratory infections? • Bronchitis, emphysema, asthma, pneumonia • Smoking history • Environmental exposure • Self – care behaviors • Immunizations, TB skin tests, chest X-rays
Assessment - Inspection • Inspect thorax • Symmetry • AP diameter • Normal 1:2 • AP diameter = transverse diameter, “barrel chest”. Occurs with normal aging, chronic emphysema, and asthma • Symmetry and normal development of trapezius muscle • Hypertrophied in COPD • Position person takes to breathe • COPD – tripod position
Posterior Chest • Symmetric chest expansion • Place warmed hands on posterolateral chest wall with thumbs at level of T9 or T10 • Slide hands medially to pinch up a small fold of skin between thumbs • Ask person to take a deep breath • As person inhales, the thumbs should move apart symmetrically • Unequal chest expansion occurs with atelectasis, pneumonia, thoracic trauma • Pain accompanies deep breathing when pleurae are inflamed
Tactile Fremitus • Fremitus is a palpable vibration transmitted through patent bronchi and lung parenchyma to the chest wall where they can be felt as vibrations • Place either the palmar base of ulnar edge of one of the hands on the person’s back and ask to repeat “ninety-nine.” Start at lung apices and palpate from one side to another • Symmetry is most important • Normally, fremitus most prominent between scapulae and decreases as you progress down
Abnormalities in Fremitus • Decreased fremitus occurs when anything obstructs transmission of vibrations • Obstructed bronchus • Pleural effusion or thickening • Pneumothorax • Emphysema • Increased fremitus occurs with compression or consolidation of lung tissue • Lobar pneumonia • Rhonchal fremitus – palpable with thick secretions • Crepitus – coarse crackling sensation palpable over skin surface. Occurs in subQ emphysema when air escapes from lung and enters subQ tissue
Percussion • Start at the apices and percuss across tops of both shoulders and down the lung region at approx. 5cm intervals • Make a side to side comparison • Avoid damping effect of scapulae and ribs • Resonance predominates in healthy lungs • Hyperresonance is found when too much air is present (emphysema or pneumothorax) • Dullness signals abnormal density (pneumonia, pleural effusion, atelectasis, tumor)
Auscultating Posterior Chest • Breath sounds • Instruct the person to breathe through the mouth a little deeper than usual, but to stop if they feel dizzy. Hyperventilation may lead to fainting! • Use the flat diaphragm endpiece of the stethoscope and listen for at least one full respiration in each location • Continue to think: • What am I hearing? • What should I expect to be hearing? • Bronchial • Bronchovesicular • Vesicular • Do not confuse background noise with lung sounds • Stethoscope tubing bumping together • Shivering • Hairy chest • Rustling of gown
Auscultation • Abnormal Findings • Decreased breath sounds • Obstruction of bronchial tree (by secretions, mucous plug, foreign body) • In emphysema due to loss of elasticity in the lung fibers and decreased force of inspired air. The lungs are already hyperinflated so not much air will be coming in. • Obstruction of sound by pleural thickening • Silent chest – no air moving in or out • Increased breath sounds – louder than normal • Bronchial sounds • Heard in abnormal location, such as periphery • High pitched, with prolonged expiratory phase • Occur in consolidation (pneumonia) or compression (fluid in intrapleural space). Dense lung tissue enhances transmission of sound.
Auscultating Adventitious Sounds • Adventitious sounds • Sounds not normally heard in the lungs • Caused by moving air colliding with secretions in trachea or bronchi, or from popping open of previously deflated airways • Crackles (fine) • Description: popping sounds heard during inspiration. May be stimulated by rolling a strand of hair between fingers near the ear • Mechanism: Inhaled air collides with previously deflated airways. Airways suddenly pop open creating a crackling sound • Clinical example: • Early inspiratory – COPD • Late inspiratory – Pneumonia, heart failure, interstitial fibrosis
Crackles (coarse) • Description: • loud, low-pitched, bubbling and gurgling sounds early in inspiration. Sound like Velcro • Mechanism: • Inhaled air collides with secretions in trachea and large bronchi • Clinical example: • Pulmonary edema, pneumonia, pulmonary fibrosis, depressed cough reflex
Pleural friction rub • Description: • Coarse and low pitched superficial sound. Both inspiratory and expiratory. • Mechanism: • Caused when pleurae become inflamed and lose normal lubricating fluid. Pleural surfaces rub together during respiration. Heard best in anterolateral wall. • Clinical example: • Pleuritis
Wheeze • Description • High pitched musical squeaking sound predominantly during expiration • Mechanism • Air squeezed or compressed through narrowed airways (collapsing, swelling, secretions, tumors) • Clinical example • Acute asthma or chronic emphysema
Rhonchi (sonorous) a.k.a. Wheeze • Description • Low-pitched, musical snoring • Mechanism • Airflow obstruction • Clinical example • Bronchitis, obstruction of bronchus from obstruction or tumor
Stridor • Description • High pitched, inspiratory, crowing sound, louder in neck than over chest wall • Mechanism • Originates in larynx or trachea. Upper airway obstruction from inflamed tissue or obstruction • Clinical example • Croup and acute epiglottitis. Obstructed airway.
Consolidation or compression of voice sounds will enhance the voice sounds
Assessing the Anterior Chest • Symmetric chest expansion • Abnormally wide costal angle occurs with emphysema • Tactile and vocal fremitus
Percussing and Auscultating Anterior Chest • Begin percussing the apices in supraclavicular ares, continuing down in intercostal spaces • Note cardiac and liver dullness and stomach tympany • Chronic emphysema leads to hyperinflation of lungs, resulting in hyperresonance where you would expect cardiac dullness • Auscultate lung fields down to the 6th rib. Progress from side to side moving downward and listen for one full respiration at each location
Pulmonary Function Test Forced expiration of 6 seconds or more occurs with obstructive lung disease
Developmental Considerations • Infants • While infant is sleeping, can inspect and auscultate the lungs • Infants normally have a rounded thorax, reaching a 1:2 (anteroposterior to transverse) diameter by age 6 • If a barrel shape persists after age 6, possible chronic asthma or cystic fibrosis • If baby begins to cry, it actually enhances the palpation of tactile fremitus • Pregnancy • Wider thoracic cage • Aging • Kyphosis – outward curvature of thoracic spine • Calcification of costal cartilages leading to less mobility
Question 1 • A nurse is caring for a client hospitalized with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Which of the following would the nurse expect to note in evaluating this client? • Increased oxygen saturation with exercise • Hypocapnia • A hyperinflated chest on X-ray • A widened diaphragm noted on chest X-ray
Question 2 • A nurse is caring for a client with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Which of the following would the nurse expect to note in the client? • Decreased respiratory rate • Pallor • Low arterial PaO2 • An elevated arterial PaO2