RESPIRATORY ASSESSMENT for ventilated and non-ventilated patients, including blood gases and x-rays.
(for exercise testing, see ‘Exercise’)

To convert: kPa ↔ mmHg - www.unit-conversion.info/pressure.html


BREATH SOUNDS
www.cvmbs.colostate.edu/clinsci/callan/breath_sounds.htm

ACID-BASE TUTORIAL
www.acid-base.com/terminology.php#SBic2

AARC CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINE: Pulse oximetry
www.rcjournal.com/online_resources/cpgs/pulsecpg.html
• exercise testing for evaluation of hypoxaemia and/or desaturation


Ahlers SJGM (2008) Comparison of different pain scoring systems in critically ill patients in a general ICU. Crit. Care, 12, R15
ccforum.com/content/12/1/R15
• comparison of the visual analogue scale, numerical scale and behavioural scale

Anderson S (1990) ABG's - six easy steps to interpreting blood gases. Am J Nurs, 90, 8, 42-5

Binnekade JM (2006) The reliability and validity of a new and simple method to measure sedation levels in intensive care patients. Heart Lung, 35, 2, 137-43
www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WG7-4JG8D4R-H&_user=10&_handle=V-WA-A-W-AD-MsSAYVA-UUA-U-AACEBVECWU-AACZEBUBWU-YEWEVUBZ-AD-U&_fmt=summary&_coverDate=04%2F30%2F2006&_rdoc=15&_orig=browse&_srch=%23toc%236815%232006%23999649997%23618713!&_cdi=6815&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=ed1cc9f14b7bddee646a937e751bd756
• sedation scale which reduces over-sedation and simplifies assessment in the ICU.

Birring SS, Prudon B, Carr AJ et al (2003) Development of a symptom specific health status measure for patients with chronic cough. Thorax, 58, 339-43.
thorax.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/58/4/339?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&andorexactfulltext=and&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&volume=58&firstpage=339&resourcetype=HWCIT

Bremner H, Carriere B (1999) Evaluation of breathing mechanisms in patients with pelvic floor dysfunction. WCPT Proceedings. p.578

Chanques G et al (2006) Impact of systematic evaluation of pain and agitation in an intensive care unit. Crit Care Med, 34, 6, 1691-9
• accurate assessment of pain and agitation reduces duration of mechanical ventilation and hospital-acquired infections

Chiles C, Ravin C (1986) Radiographic recognition of pneumothorax in ICU. Crit Care Med, 14, 677-80
journals.lww.com/ccmjournal/Abstract/1986/08000/Radiographic_recognition_of_pneumothorax_in_the.2.aspx
• how to identify pneumothorax and hydropneumothorax in a supine patient.

Connolly MA (2001) Black, white and shades of gray: common abnormalities in chest radiographs. AACN Clin Issues, 12, 259-69
www.aacnclinicalissues.com/pt/re/aacn/abstract.00044067-200105000-00009.htm;jsessionid=D48oT8PdT9msfbUhDRFB24d3SZbnLeBWhzqhIKW51KXDWJZeGiVZ!-477899252!-949856144!9001!-1?index=1&database=ppvovft&results=1&count=10&searchid=1&nav=search (abstract only)
• systematic examination, common abnormalities, examples

Cornock MA (1996) Making sense of arterial blood gases and their interpretation. Nursing Times, 92(6), 30-31
www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice-clinical-research/making-sense-of-arterial-blood-gases/200822.article

Cuthbertson BH (2008) Optimising early warning scoring systems. Resuscitation, 77, 153-4
• review of two papers on the effectiveness of early warning scoring systems

Garcia-Pachon E (2002) Paradoxical movement of the lateral rib margin (Hoover sign) for detecting obstructive airway disease. Chest, 122, 651-5
• Hoover sign is easy to recognise and useful for detecting obstructive airway disease

Gershman NH (1996) Comparison of two methods of collecting induced sputum. Eur Resp J, 9, 2448-53.

Gilbert (1989) Detection of pneumonia by auscultation in the lateral decubitus positions. Am Rev Respir Dis, 140, 1012-16.


Greco FA (2004) Interpretation of breath sounds. Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 169, 1260 (letter)
ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/content/full/169/11/1260

Guglielminotti J (2000) Bedside detection of retained tracheobronchial secretions in patients on mechanical ventilation. Chest, 118, 1095-9

Haitsma IK (2002) Advanced monitoring in the ICU: brain tissue oxygen tension. Curr Opin Crit Care, 8, 115-20

Haque RA, Usmani OS, Barnes PJ (2005) Chronic Idiopathic cough: a discrete clinical entity? Chest, 127, 1710-13
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=15888850&dopt=Abstract
• chronic cough may be initiated by an upper respiratory tract infection which sensitizes the cough reflex

Hacievliyagil SS, Gunen H (2006) Association between cytokines and induced sputum and severity of COPD. Respir Med, 100, 5, 846-54
www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=PublicationURL&_tockey=%23TOC%237138%232006%23998999994%23620763%23FLA%23&_cdi=7138&_pubType=J&_auth=y&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=6cd0ecd66e2af952b4fbc3d5d2465480
• higher levels of cytokines in induced sputum indicate severity of COPD during exacerbation

Hjelmqvist H (2000) Colloids versus crystalloids. Curr Anaesth Crit Care, 11, 7-10

Ho JE, Bittner V (2010) Usefulness of heart rate at rest as a predictor of mortality, hospitalization for heart failure, myocardial infarction, and stroke in patients with stable coronary heart disease. Am J Cardiol, 105, 7, 905-911
www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=PublicationURL&_tockey=%23TOC%234876%232010%23998949992%231814686%23FLA%23&_cdi=4876&_pubType=J&_auth=y&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=6ffb82fc4d3542fc494e4c1bdd8648f0
• for people with CVD, HR at rest of ≥70 beats/min is associated with 40% increase in mortality and more than twice the risk of HF hospitalisation, but not the risk of stroke or MI.

Hodgkinson DW, O'Driscoll BR, Driscoll PA (1993) Chest radiographs. Br Med J, 307, 1202-6, plus correction: BMJ, 307 (Nov 27), 1417.

Holleman (1995) Does the clinical examination predict airflow limitation? JAMA, 273, 313-19

Inoue H (2009) A new breath-holding test may noninvasively reveal early lung abnormalities caused by smoking and/or obesity. Chest, 136, 2, 545-553
chestjournal.chestpubs.org/content/136/2/545.ful
• the fall in SaO2 during a 20-second breath-hold at resting end-exhalation reveals early lung abnormalities

Irwin R (2002) The diagnosis and treatment of cough. N Eng J Med, 343,1715-1721

Jones AYM, Jones RD (2000) The effect on sound generation of varying both gas flow rate and the viscosity of sputum-like gel. Lung, 178, 31-40
• absence of crackles does not always indicate absence of secretions

Juniper MC (1997) The chest x-ray in intensive care. Care Crit Ill, 13, 198-200

Karampela I et al (2002) A dyspnea evaluation protocol for respiratory therapists. Respir Care, 47, 1158-61
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12354334
• helps ensure that SOB is not mistaken for anxiety, with wrong treatment given.

Karbing DS, Kjaergaard S, Smith BW, Espersen K, Allerψd C, Andreassen S, Rees SE (2007) Variation in the PaO2/FiO2 ratio with FiO2: mathematical and experimental description, and clinical relevance. Crit Care, 11:R118
ccforum.com/content/11/6/R118
• PaO2/FiO2 quantifies effects of treatment
• PaO2/FiO2 varies with both FiO2 and SaO2
• classifies patients' gas exchange status, including definitions of ALI (27 kPa ≤ PaO2/FiO2 < 40 kPa) and ARDS (PaO2/FiO2 < 27 kPa)
(useful commentary on how this measurement can achieve a balance between accuracy and feasibility is on ccforum.com/content/11/6/182)

Karen KG, Higgins TL (2005) New-generation pulse oximetry in the care of critically ill patients. Am J Crit Care, 14, 26-37

Kassean HK, Jagoo ZB (2005) Managing change in the nursing handover from traditional to bedside handover. BMC Nurs, 4,1
www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6955/4/1/abstract
• A handover at the bedside, rather than at the nurses’ station, provides greater satisfaction for patient and staff

Kjaergaard S, Rees S (2003) Non-invasive estimation of shunt and ventilation–perfusion mismatch. Int Care Med, 29, 727-34
ccforum.com/content/11/6/R118/citation

Kvale A, Johnsen TB, Ljunggren AD (2002) Examination of respiration in patients with long-lasting musculoskeletal pain. Advances Physiother, 4, 169-81
• fascinating insight into the effect of pain on breathing

Labib A (2010) Current trends in cardiac output monitoring in UK intensive care units. J Intens Care Soc, 11, 4, 257-60
journal.ics.ac.uk/pdf/1104257.pdf
• invasive and non-invasive monitoring techniques

Lange NE (2009) Spirometry: don't blow it! Chest, 136, 2, 608-614
chestjournal.chestpubs.org/content/136/2/608.full
• everything you need to know about the practicalities of spirometry.

Lichtenstein DL (2003) The "lung pulse": an early ultrasound sign of complete atelectasis. Int Care Med, 29, 12, 2187-92
• ultrasound can identify atelectasis before x-rays can

Lou J-S (2010) Assessment and management of fatigue in neuromuscular disease. Am J Hospice Palliat Med, 27, 2, 145—57

Malaguti C (2009) Reliability of chest wall mobility and its correlation with pulmonary function in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Respir Care, 54, 12, 1703-11
www.rcjournal.com/contents/12.09/12.09.1703.pdf

Martin GS (2002) Findings on the portable chest radiograph correlate with fluid balance in critically ill patients. Chest, 122, 2087-95.

Martini Z (2005) Independent contributions of hypothermia and acidosis to coagulopathy in swine. J Trauma-Injury Inf Crit Care, 58,1002-10
www.jtrauma.com/pt/re/jtrauma/abstract.00005373-200505000-00020.htm;jsessionid=CO5EKlmYRMKPcbJGGy72sAD2B6RZWJFeF315LiHLGi1QDiEb20Jw!1707623050!-949856031!9001!-1
• coagulopathy occurs frequently in the presence of acidosis and hypothermia.

McKenzie CA, McKinnon W et al (2005) Differentiating midazolam over-sedation from neurological damage in the intensive care unit. Crit Care, 9, R32-R36
• method to distinguish over-sedation from neurological damage

McGarvey LPA, Ing AJ (2004) Idiopathic cough, prevalence and underlying mechanisms. Pulm Pharmacol Ther, 17, 435-9
www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WPM-4DS6TVN-2&_coverDate=12%2F01%2F2004&_alid=350471042&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_qd=1&_cdi=6994&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=5a528a631f39b35263f5eb6f917e6dd2

Mootoosamy (1993) Computed tomography scanning of the thorax. Br J Hosp Med, 50, 2/3, 95-105.

Morice AH (2006) Recommendations for the management of cough in adults. Thorax, 61(Suppl I), i1–i24
www.brit-thoracic.org.uk/Portals/0/Clinical%20Information/Cough/Guidelines/coughguidelinesaugust06.pdf
• comprehensive guideline on differential diagnosis and management
• chronic cough is associated with inflammatory airways diseases such as asthma, COPD, post-viral infections, pulmonary fibrosis, and bronchiectasis
• 55% of women report urinary incontinence in association with chronic cough
• patients with heart disease and chronic cough are at risk of myocardial infarction

Murphy R (2006) Capillary blood gases in acute exacerbations of COPD. Respir Med, 100, 4, 682-686 www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=PublicationURL&_tockey=%23TOC%237138%232006%23998999995%23617521%23FLA%23&_cdi=7138&_pubType=J&_auth=y&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=18ccd676b7f198e85937012ad7bac39d
• ear capillary blood gases accurately assess PCO2, H+ and HCO3− , and combined with continuous pulse oximetry can be used as an alternative to ABGs in patients with exacerbation of COPD.

Murray MP, Turnbull K, MacQuarrie S (2009) Validation of the Leicester Cough Questionnaire in non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis. Eur Respir J, 34, 1, 125–131
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19196812

Ninane (1992) Abdominal muscle use during breathing in patients with chronic airflow obstruction. Am Rev Respir Dis, 146, 16-21.

Pasterkamp (1997) Respiratory sounds. Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 156, 974-87

Payen JF et al (2001) Assessing pain in critically ill sedated patients by using a behavioral pain scale. Crit Care Med, 29, 2258-63
www.ccmjournal.com/pt/re/ccm/abstract.00003246-200112000-00004.htm;jsessionid=CrtKZlmc2kHPgF99vw2YNNihO2LRsv1y2uw3DQ1HT3Ceq3D0Lc8T!-2128958162!-949856032!9001!-1
• pain scale which is valid and reliable for sedated patients on IPPV

Penson RT, Rudd RM (1997) Commentary: octreotide and hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy. Thorax, 52, 297-8
• early sign of lung cancer: pain and swelling of wrists and ankles

Piirill¨ (1992) Changes in crackle characteristics during the clinical course of pneumonia. Chest, 102, 176-83.

Polly L (2008) Impact of cough across different chronic respiratory diseases: comparison of two cough-specific health-related quality of life questionnaires. Chest, 134, 2, 295-302
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18071022

Rabitsch W (2004) Evaluation of an end-tidal portable ETCO2 colorimetric breath indicator. Am J Emerg Med, 22, 4-9
• breath indicator between the airway and ventilator tubing changes colour according to ETCO2

Ramsey DJC (2004) Assessment and management of dysphagia. Hosp Med, 65, 5, 274-9

Rossi SE (2005) Tree-in-bud pattern at thin-section CT of the lungs. RadioGraphic, 25, 789-801
radiographics.rsnajnls.org/cgi/content/full/25/3/789
• description of small nodules of soft-tissue attenuation shown on CT which indicate various conditions such as infection, obliterative bronchiolitis, aspiration or inhalation of foreign substances, immunologic disorders or connective tissue disorders

Scherer S, Hammerich AS (2008) Outcomes in cardiopulmonary physical therapy:
Acute Care Index of Function. Cardiopulm Phys Ther J, 19, 3, 95-7
cpptjournal.org/pdfs/members/fulltext/2008/september/september-article4.pdf
• incorporates mental status, bed mobility, transfers, and mobility

Schmidt M (2011) Dyspnea in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients. Crit Care Med, May.
• SOB is frequent, intense, strongly associated with anxiety, sensitive to ventilator settings and associated with delayed extubation

Smith MD, Russell A, Hodges PW (2006) Disorders of breathing and continence have a stronger association with back pain than obesity and physical activity. Austr J Physiother, 52, 11-16
ajp.physiotherapy.asn.au/AJP/vol_52/1/AustJPhysiotherv52i1Smith.pdf
• dual role of the diaphragm and transverses abdominis (for both breathing and posture) explains how patients with a fatigued diaphragm are unable to provide adequate support for their spine.

Srivastava R (2011) Complicated lives – taking the social history. N Engl J Med, 365, 7, 587-9.

Stringfield YN (1993) Acidosis, alkalosis and ABG's. Am J Nurs, 93, 11, 43-4.

Stroud AE et al (2002) Inter- and intra-rater reliability of cervical auscultation to detect aspiration in patients with dysphagia. Clin Rehab, 16, 640-5
• identifying aspiration by interpretation of swallow sounds

Tantucci C, Pinelli V, Cossi S et al (2006) Reference values and repeatability of inspiratory capacity for men and women ages 65-85. Respir Med, 100, 5, 871-7
www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=PublicationURL&_tockey=%23TOC%237138%232006%23998999994%23620763%23FLA%23&_cdi=7138&_pubType=J&_auth=y&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=6cd0ecd66e2af952b4fbc3d5d2465480
• inspiratory capacity may signal the occurrence of dynamic hyperinflation at rest or o exercise

Trotman-Dickenson B (2003) Radiology in the ICU. J Int Care Med, 18, 198-210

Van de Louw A et al (2001) Accuracy of pulse oximetry in the ICU. Int Care Med, 27, 1606-13
• SpO2 above 94% is necessary to ensure SaO2 of 90%

Vincent JL (2008) Understanding cardiac output. Crit Care, 12, 4, 174
ccforum.com/content/12/4/174
• succinct explanation of the four determinants of cardiac output and how cardiac output is affected by different circumstances

Voepel-Lewis T (2010) Reliability and validity of the face, legs, activity, cry, consolability behavioral tool in assessing acute pain in critically ill patients. Am J Crit Care, 19, 1, 55-61
• behavioural pain scale

Walshe BK, Crotwell DN, Restrepo RD (2011) Capnography/capnometry during mechanical ventilation. Respir Care, 56, 4, 503–9
www.rcjournal.com/cpgs/pdf/04.11.0503.pdf
• AARC Guidelines

Williams AJ (1998) Assessing and interpreting arterial blood gases and acid-base balance. Br Med J, 317, 1213-6
bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/317/7167/1213?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&andorexactfulltext=and&searchid=1097998442127_8760&stored_search=&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&volume=317&firstpage=1213&resourcetype=1

Wong CL, Holroyd-Leduc J, Straus SE (2009) Does this patient have a pleural effusion? J Am Med Ass, 301, 3, 309-317
jama.ama-assn.org/content/301/3/309.abstract
• clinical assessment of pleural effusion





AARC = American Association for Respiratory Care
ACPRC = Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Respiratory Care
CVD = cardiovascular disease
ETCO2 = end-tidal CO2 monitor
HCO3− = bicarbonate ion concentration
HF = heart failure
HR = heart rate
IPPV = intermittent positive pressure ventilation
JAMA = Journal of American Medical Association
MI = myocardial infarction
SOB = shortness of breath
SpO2 = saturation of haemoglobin taken by pulse oximeter
VO2 max = maximum oxygen consumption