Upper resp

• Physiology of oxygenation consists of ventilation, diffusion, transport and perfusion
• Ventilation consists of movement of air into and out of the lungs
• Diffusion consists of movement of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the alveoli and red blood cells and between capillaries and cells
• Transport consists of movement of biochemical substances from one site to anither
• Perfusion consists of the passage of fluid through a specific organ or area of the body
• Respiratory defense mechanisms are the filtration of air (nasal hair), mucociliary clearance system, cough reflex, reflex bronchoconstriction, alveolar macrophages (engulf bacteria)
• Subjective data collection related to resp: smoking, exercice, history of panic attacks or anxiety, immunizations
• For inspection of the mouth and throat, check the oral cavity, hard and soft palates, uvula, tongue, tonsils, pharynx
• Types of diagnostic studies: sputum specimen, radiological studies, bronchoscopy, pulmonary function test
• A sputum specimen is used to determine treatment or diagnose by identifying an infecting organism (culture and sensitivity test) or by identifying malignant cells
• Reminders for sputum collection:

  • sterile container is needed
  • sputum is not saliva since if comes from the lungs and not the mouth
  • the ideal time of collection is in the morning
• Radiological studies to diagnose can be a chest X-ray or a computed tomography (CT scan), which is a 3D X-ray
• A bronchoscopy is used to visualize the larynx, trachea and bronchi as well as to remove mucous plugs and foreign bodies or obtain specimens
• A pulmonary function test (PFT) is used to evaluate lung volume and airflow by testing forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (amount of air exhaled). The normal is 80%
• Upper respiratory tract consists if the nasal cavity, pharynx, glottis and larynx
• Upper respiratory tract infections are one of the most frequent causes of clinic visits with symptoms being a runny nose, cough, sore throat, breathing difficulty and lethargy
• Upper respiratory tract infections are all inflammations called rhinitis (nasal mucosa), sinusitis (sinuses), pharyngitis (pharynx), epiglottitis (epiglottis), laryngitis (larynx)
• common symptoms for the cold are a runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, cough and chest discomfort
• common symptoms for the flu (influenza) are fever, headache, general aches and pain, fatigue, extreme exhaustion, cough, chest discomfort
• common symptoms of an allergy are a runny nose and sneezing
• common symptoms of Covid are fever, headache, general aches and pain, fatigue, extreme exhaustion, runny nose, sore throat, cough, chest discomfort, loss of taste and smell
• Nursing management of urti is reinforcement of frequent hand hygiene and resp hygiene, promote influenza vaccination, supportive measures of relieving symptoms and preventing or teaching how to recognize secondary infections