Human Respiratory System Assessment

Anatomy and Physiology

• The thorax is the upper part of the chest, extending from the base of the neck to the diaphragm.
• It contains the lungs, heart, and major blood vessels.
• The lungs are responsible for gas exchange, bringing oxygen into the body and removing carbon dioxide.

Respiratory Assessment

• Inspection: observe the patient's breathing pattern, chest movement, and use of accessory muscles.
• Palpation: feel the chest for vibrations, tenderness, or deformities.
• Percussion: tap on the chest to assess lung sounds and detect abnormalities.
• Auscultation: listen to lung sounds with a stethoscope to detect abnormal breath sounds.

Lung Sounds

• Normal:
  • Vesicular breath sounds: soft, gentle, and evenly distributed.
  • Bronchial breath sounds: louder and more tubular, heard over the trachea and main bronchi.
• Abnormal:
  • Wheezes: high-pitched, continuous sounds, often indicating airway obstruction.
  • Rhonchi: low-pitched, continuous sounds, often indicating secretions in the airways.
  • Crackles: discontinuous, popping sounds, often indicating fluid or mucus in the alveoli.

Respiratory Failure

• Hypoxemic:
  • Inadequate oxygenation of the blood.
  • Signs: cyanosis, restlessness, confusion, and tachypnea.
• Hypercapnic:
  • Inadequate removal of carbon dioxide from the blood.
  • Signs: headache, lethargy, and tachypnea.

Nursing Interventions

• Oxygen Therapy:
  • Administer supplemental oxygen to increase oxygen saturation.
  • Monitor oxygen saturation and adjust oxygen flow as needed.
• Pulmonary Hygiene:
  • Encourage deep breathing exercises and coughing to loosen secretions.
  • Use suctioning and chest physiotherapy to remove mucus and promote lung expansion.
• Medication Administration:
  • Administer bronchodilators, corticosteroids, and mucolytics as prescribed to manage respiratory conditions.

Complications and Emergencies

• Respiratory Distress Syndrome:
  • Acute, life-threatening respiratory failure.
  • Signs: severe dyspnea, cyanosis, and tachypnea.
• Pneumothorax:
  • Air in the pleural space, causing lung collapse.
  • Signs: sudden, severe chest pain, dyspnea, and decreased lung sounds.
• Pulmonary Embolism:
  • Blockage of the pulmonary artery, causing respiratory failure.
  • Signs: sudden, severe chest pain, dyspnea, and tachycardia.

Anatomy and Physiology

• The thorax extends from the base of the neck to the diaphragm and contains the lungs, heart, and major blood vessels.
• The lungs are responsible for gas exchange, bringing oxygen into the body and removing carbon dioxide.

Respiratory Assessment

• Inspection involves observing the patient's breathing pattern, chest movement, and use of accessory muscles.
• Palpation involves feeling the chest for vibrations, tenderness, or deformities.
• Percussion involves tapping on the chest to assess lung sounds and detect abnormalities.
• Auscultation involves listening to lung sounds with a stethoscope to detect abnormal breath sounds.

Lung Sounds

• Vesicular breath sounds are soft, gentle, and evenly distributed.
• Bronchial breath sounds are louder and more tubular, heard over the trachea and main bronchi.
• Wheezes are high-pitched, continuous sounds, often indicating airway obstruction.
• Rhonchi are low-pitched, continuous sounds, often indicating secretions in the airways.
• Crackles are discontinuous, popping sounds, often indicating fluid or mucus in the alveoli.

Respiratory Failure

• Hypoxemic respiratory failure involves inadequate oxygenation of the blood, leading to signs such as cyanosis, restlessness, confusion, and tachypnea.
• Hypercapnic respiratory failure involves inadequate removal of carbon dioxide from the blood, leading to signs such as headache, lethargy, and tachypnea.

Nursing Interventions

• Oxygen therapy involves administering supplemental oxygen to increase oxygen saturation, and monitoring oxygen saturation to adjust oxygen flow as needed.
• Pulmonary hygiene involves encouraging deep breathing exercises and coughing to loosen secretions, and using suctioning and chest physiotherapy to remove mucus and promote lung expansion.
• Medication administration involves administering bronchodilators, corticosteroids, and mucolytics as prescribed to manage respiratory conditions.

Complications and Emergencies

• Respiratory distress syndrome is an acute, life-threatening respiratory failure characterized by severe dyspnea, cyanosis, and tachypnea.
• Pneumothorax is characterized by air in the pleural space, causing lung collapse, and signs such as sudden, severe chest pain, dyspnea, and decreased lung sounds.
• Pulmonary embolism is a blockage of the pulmonary artery, causing respiratory failure, and is characterized by signs such as sudden, severe chest pain, dyspnea, and tachycardia.