Medicine Notes Respiratory System Notes
These notes are on the Respiratory System of the human body. helped me achieve a mark of 68% in my respiratory exam, which is the equivalent of a 2:1. The notes are based on a series of lectures on the subject. They are very clearly laid out and easy to follow. They cut out unnecessary information on the topic, making the notes very concise, and fast to get through. Anyone studying medicine, or any other subject requiring knowledge of the Respiratory system (e.g. physiology or anatomy), would ben...
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Lecture 3
Clinical aspects of respiratory infections
Intro
Pneumonia causes 10Xxmore deaths than all other infectious diseases together (UK)
Cause usually bacterial, need antibiotics
Most infections of URT are viral, do not need antibiotics
Inappropriate antibiotic treatment in patients=adverse effects
When patient first seen, rare for organism to be identified. Physician’s determine:
How ill patient is
Likely site of infection in tract
Most likely causative organism
Decision about antibiotics, hospital admission etc.
Is antibiotic treatment indicated?
Upper respiratory tract infections
Cough, sore throat or runny nose (& systemic symptoms)
Usually viral, self-limiting or minor
Important rate exceptions
Epiglottitis (Rapid progressive condition in children, Haemophilus influenza type b, Stridor, muffling of voice and drooling)
Diphtheria (grey adherent membrane on pharynx)
Suspicion of either condition=hospital admission
Acute bronchitis
Cough, purulent sputum
Viral or bacterial or atypical organism (mycoplasm or Chlamydia species)
Antibiotics do not hasten resolution if previously fit
Antibiotics recommended in patients with underlying lung diseases, have less pulmonary reserve
Acute-on-chronic bronchitis most common organisms Haemophilius influenza, Streptococcus pneumonia and viruses
Pneumonia
“Lower respiratory tract infection”= cough, dyspnoea, tachypnoea, pleuritic pain or physical signs in chest (crackles, consolidation, pleural rub/effusion)
Pneumonia or incipient pneumonia
Antibiotic treatment
Which antibiotic?
General
Choice in pneumonia depends mainly on clinical circumstances it occurs in
Additional info from clinical history, physical findings, radiology & haematological changes, but no single clinical, radiological or haematological picture is pathognomonic of any individual organism
Treatment based on clinical situations associated with different organisms
Community acquired pneumonia
Caused by one of small range of virulent organisms of which Streptococcus pneumonia is by far the commonest (70%)
Other common organisms include
Mycoplasm pneumoniae (epidemics)
Chlamydia species (including C. psittaci from birds)
Legionella species (spontaneously or epidemics)
Macrolides such as erythromycin or clarithromycin are active against these organisms & one of these drugs is usual first choice in community acquired
Severe infections, benzylpenicillin or ampicillin also added to provide extra activity against Streptococcus pneumonia
Other organisms that cause community acquired pneumonia less commonly
Influenza virus (epidemics)
Staphylococcus aureus (drug addicts or super infecting organism)
Klebsiella pneumonia...
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These notes are on the Respiratory System of the human body. helped me achieve a mark of 68% in my respiratory exam, which is the equivalent of a 2:1. The notes are based on a series of lectures on the subject. They are very clearly laid out and easy to follow. They cut out unnecessary information on the topic, making the notes very concise, and fast to get through. Anyone studying medicine, or any other subject requiring knowledge of the Respiratory system (e.g. physiology or anatomy), would ben...
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