PULMONARY AND CRITICAL CARE MNEMONICS

11/22/2013

Dpt. Aamir Memon

PULMONARY AND CRITICAL CARE MNEMONICS

General Approach to Critical Care Medicine. Consider the mnemonic: "MICU'S LIFE GOALS" Medications/ prophylaxis Invasions Cardiovascular Urine/renal Skin/ decubitis care Lungs Infectious disease Fluids/ electrolytes/ nutrition Endocrine Gastrointestinal/liver Oncologic/hematologic Analgesia/ neurologic Long-term prognosis Social/family

Chest X-Ray Interpretation

The ABCDEF method * starts with a quick confirmation of the films qualitative aspects and then outlines a checklist for interpretation. Initial review: AP or PA Body position Confirm name Date Exposure Films for comparison Interpretation: Airway/Adenopathy Bones/Breast shadows Cardiac silhouette/Costophrenic angles Diaphragm/Digestive tract Edges/Extra-thoracic tissues Fields/Failure

CHRONIC COUGH
GASPS-AND-COUGH Gastroesophageal reflux disease Asthma Smoking/chronic bronchitis Post-infection Sinusitis/post-nasal drip Ace-inhibitor Neoplasm/lower airway lesion Diverticulum (esophageal) Congestive heart failure Outer ear Upper airway obstruction G I-airway fistula Hypersensitivity/allergy

CLUBBING
CLUB Cancer Liver disease Ulcerative colitis

Bronchiectasis (especially cystic fibrosis)

DYSPNEA
SHE-PANTS Stress/anxiety/deconditioning Heart disease Emboli Pulmonary disease Anemia Neuromuscular disease Trachea/upper airway obstruction Sleep disorder

HEMOPTYSIS
CAVITATES Congestive heart failure Airway disease/bronchiectasis Vasculitis/vascular malformations Infection (e.g., tracheobronchitis, anaerobes, fungi, T8) Trauma Anticoagulation Tumor Embolism Stomach (GI or nasal source) A more comprehensive list of causes of hemoptysis is outlined below: TRACHEAL Tracheobronchitis, Trauma, Tuberculosis, Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura Rupture of pulmonary artery (Swan-Ganz), Resin/paint production (trimeliitic anhydride), Rasmussen's aneurysm Aspirated foreign body, Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, Anaerobic/necrotic pneumonia Cancer, Cardiac (especially mitral stenosis)' Crack cocaine Heparin, Hemosiderosis (idiopathic pulmonary), Helminths (paragonimus, echinococcus) ENT/esophagus (pseudo-hemoptysis), Embolism (pulmonary, septic), Endometriosis Arteriovenous malformation, A rteritis/vasculitis, Amyloid Lung abscess, Left atrial myxoma, Lithiasis (broncholith), Lymphangioleiomyomatosis Also: penicillamine and arterial bronchial fistula

STRIDOR
WE-TRACH-OR-TREAT Wegener's granulomatosis Epiglottitis/supraglottitis Tracheobronchitis Relapsing polychrondritis Aspirated foreign body Cancer (endotracheal, metastatic, extrinsic compression) Hereditary (web, Ehlers-Danlos, Williams-Campbell, Mounier-Kuhn) Obstructive lung disease/"dynamic" compression Reidel's thyroiditis/Radiation (fibrosing mediastinitis) Trauma/Tracheostomy Rhinoscleroma Emotion/anxiety (vocal cord dysfunction) Amyloidosis Tracheopathia osteoplastica

WHEEZING
ASTHMA Asthma Small airways disease Tracheal obstruction/large airways disease Heart failure Mastocytosis/carcinoid Anaphylaxis/Allergy Below is a more comprehensive list of the causes of wheezing: T HE-ASTHMATICS Toxic fumes

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis Eosinophilic disease Asthma Small airways disease Tracheal obstruction/large airways disease Heart failure Mastocytosis/carcinoid Anaphylaxis/ Allergy Thromboembolism Infection/bronchitis Cystic fibrosis/bronchiectasis Smoking/COPD

ACUTE RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME

ARDS Acute onset Ratio PaO2/Fi02 200 Diffuse infiltration Swan-Ganz wedge < 1 8 mmHg Here is a more comprehensive mnemonic for the causes of ARDS: CARDS-HOPE-IT'S-NOT-ARDS CNS disorders Aspiration (especially gastric) Radiation Drugs (i.e. heroin, morphine, barbiturates, etc.) Smoke/toxic gas inhalation Hypotension/shock O2 Toxicity Pancreatitis Emboli (i.e., pulmonary, fat, amniotic fluid) Infection/sepsis Transfusion reaction Surgery (especially cardiac) Near drowning Obstetrical emergencies (e.g. eclampsia, HELLP) Thermal injury/burns Altitude sickness Renal failure Diffuse intravascular coagulation Systemic lupus erythematosus

ACUTE RESPIRATORY FAILURE

A-PE-H IT-INTUBATED Aspiration White X-Rays Pus Edema Hemorrhage Immunologic Tumor Black X-Rays Infarcted right ventricle Neurologic disease (drug overdose, botulism, CVA, Guillain Barre) Tension pneumothorax Upper airway obstruction (anaphylaxis, foreign body aspiration) Bronchospasm (COPD exacerbation, asthma) Arrhythmia Tamponade Embolus (pulmonary, air, amniotic fluid, tumor) Diaphragmatic weakness (surgery/trauma, neurologic disease)

BRONCHIECTASIS
A-SICK-AIRWAY

Airway/lesion/chronic obstruction Sequestration Immunodeficiency syndrome (especially immunoglobulin abnormalities) Cystic fibrosis Kartagener's syndrome/dysmotile ciliary syndromes Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) Infection/Inflammation (e.g. tuberculosis, post-viral, whooping cough, collagen-vascular disease) Reflux (aspiration)/Recurrent injury (heroin, toxic gas inhalation) Williams-Campbell and other congenital diseases (e.g. Marfans, Mounier-Kuhn) Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency Yellow nail syndrome, Young 's syndrome A few diseases commonly cause bronchiectasis with upper lobe predominance. These can be remembered by the mnemonic FACT (Fungi, ABPA, Cystic fibrosis, TBI)

CAVITARY AND CYSTIC LUNG DISEASE

WEIRD-HOLES Wegener's Emboli (pulmonary, septic) Infection (e.g. anaerobes, Pneumocvstis carinii, TB) Rheumatoid arthritis (necrobiotic nodules) Developmental cysts (bronchogenic, sequestration) Histiocytosis X Oncologic (primary or metastatic cancer) Left atrial myxoma (LAM) Environmental/occupational (silicosis, trauma) Sarcoidosis

INTERSTITIAL LUNG DISEASE

IS-IT-IPF IPF (Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis) Sarcoidosis Inhalational (pneumoconioses) Treatment-related (e.g., medications, radiation, chemotherapy) Immunologic (collagen-vascular diseases) Post-inflammatory (e.g., infection, ARDS) Familial The causes of Interstitial lung disease with normal or increased lung volumes are summarized by the mnemonic LET'S BRONCH: LAM, Eosinophilic granuloma (histiocytosis X), Talc injection (intravenous drug abuse), Sarcoidosis, Bronchiectatic diseases (e. g. cystic fibrosis), Respiratory bronchiolitis, Obliterative bronchiolitis, Neurofibromatosis, COPD + ILD, Hypersensitivity pneumonitis. The following mnemonic lists many of the causes of interstitial lung disease: I-HAVE-BRONCHED-AN-I NTERSTITIAL-LUNG Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome ARDS recovery Veno-occlusive disease End-stage liver disease Bronchocentric granulomatosis Rheumatoid arthritis and other collagen vascular diseases Organic and inorganic dusts (occupational/ environmental) Niemann-Pick and Gaucher's diseases Congestive heart failure Hypereosinophilic syndrome Eosinophilic lung diseases (PIE syndromes) Drug exposures (e,g. amiodarone, gold, antibiotics, chemotherapy) Amyloidosis Neoplastic (Lymphangitic carcinomatosis, post-radiation therapy) Idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis Neurofibromatosis Tuberous sclerosis Eosinophilic granuloma/histiocytosis X Renal failure/uremia Sarcoidosis

Transplantation Infections (residua of active infection of any type) Toxic chemicals (gases, fumes, vapors, aerosols, radiation) Idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome Alveolar proteinosis Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) Lymphocytic disorders (e.g. pseudolymphoma, lymphocytic interstitial pneumonitis) Ulcerative colitis and other GI diseases Necrotizing vasculitis (Wegners, Chrug-Strauss,lymphomatoid granulomatosis) Goodpastures disease and other pulmonary hemorrhagic syndromes

MEDIASTINAL MASS
CHEST-ALARMS Cysts (bronchial, pericardial) Hernias (Bochdalek, Morgagni) Esophageal diverticulum Schwannoma/neurogenic tumors. Ts (The 4Ts: teratoma, thymoma, thyroid, and terrible lymphoma) Aneurysms (aortic and pulmonary) Lymph node enlargement Adipose tissue Renal (intrathoracic kidney) Metastatic disease Splenosis/extramedullary hematopoesis

Causes of a mediastinal mass, by compartment, are summarized by the mnemonic below. There is some overlap in the categories as some entities can be found in more than one mediastinal compartment. NERVES-AND-CHEST-PARTS Posterior Mediastinum Neurogenic tumors Esophageal enlargement or diverticulum Renal (intrathoracic kidney) Vascular (e.g., descending aortic aneurysm) Extramedullary hematopoesis/splenosis Skeletal/spinal (e.g., vertebral osteophyte, meningocele) Middle Mediastinum Adipose tissue ("fat pad") Nodes Dilated aortic root Cysts (pericardial, bronchogenic) Hematoma (e.g., after surgery or line placement) Enlarged pulmonary arteries Stomach (hiatal hernia) Tumor (metastatic, primary) Anterior Mediastinum Parathyroid mass Aortic arch aneurysm Right ventricular enlargement Ts (teratoma, thymoma, thyroid, terrible lymphoma) Subclavian catheter hematoma

PLEURAL EFFUSION
PE-HIT-DECUB-TAP Pus Edema Hemorrhage Immunologic Tumor Dialysis (peritoneal) Esophagus (Boerhaave's) Chyle Urine Bile

Total parenteral nutrition Ascites Pancreatic Here is a longer list of the causes of pleural effusions: U H -D O C I ' L L-NEED-MY-TAP-STAT Urinothorax Hypothyroidism Drugs (e.g., nitrofurantoin, amiodarone, procarbazine, dantrolene, methylsergide) Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome Collagen vascular disease Infection (pneumonia, parapneumonic effusion, emphysema, TB) Left ventricular failure Lymphangioleiomyomatosis Nephrotic syndrome Esophageal rupture Embolism (P E) Dialysis (peritoneal) Malignancy (primary, metastatic, Meig's syndrome) Yellow nail syndrome Trauma (hemothorax) Ascites (hepatic or pancreatic) Post-surgical SVC obstruction (or other great veins) Trapped lung Asbestos (BA P E) TPN

PNEUMOTHORAX
CHEST-PAINS Cystic lung disease (e.g., cystic fibrosis, LAM, histiocytosis X, bullous emphysema) Hereditary connective tissue diseases (Marfan's, Ehlers-Danlos, pseudoxanthoma elasticum) Endometriosis (catamenial) Spontaneous Trauma Pneumonia, PCP Altitude, Alveolar microlithiasis Iatrogenic (thoracentesis, central line, ventilator, postoperative) Neoplasm (rare-osteogenic carcinoma metastases) Scleroderma, Sarcoidosis

PULMONARY HYPERTENSION
LVEDP Left-sided failure Vascular disease/obstruction Extrinsic compression De-saturation/hypoxia Pulmonary parenchymal disease PAHTNS Pulmonary pare nchymal disease/primary pulmonary hypertension Apnea/Anoxia Heart failure Thromboembolism Neuromuscularlskeletal disease Scleroderma/vasculitis The mnemonic below lists the causes of pulmonary hypertension and indicates the helpful diagnostic information provided by the PA catheter. I-CHECK-PCWPS-AND-LVEDPS Interstitial lung disease Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Hyperthyroidism Emboli (chronic pulmonary emboli, intravenous drug abuse) Collagen-vascular diseases Kyphoscoliosis

Primary pulmonary hypertension (including pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis) Congenital heart disease Worms (e.g., schistosomiasis) Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease Sleep apnea Atrial disease Neuromuscular disease Diet pills (aminorex) Liver disease/cirrhosis Valvular heart disease Extrinsic compression of pulmonary vasculature (e.g. fibrosing mediastinitis) Diastolic inhibition/equalization (tamponade, constrictive pericarditis) Primary cardiomyopathy (dilated, restrictive, infiltrative) Sickle cell anemia

PULMONARY INFILTRATE
A-PE-HIT Aspiration Pus Edema Hemorrhage Immunologic Tumor The following mnemonic offers a more detailed summary of the causes of pulmonary infiltrates: CAN-IT-BE-APE CHF (pulmonary edema) Aspiration (e.g. food, oil, GERD) Neoplasm (airway obstruction, bronchoalveolar cell carcinoma, Iymphoproliferative disorders) Infection (bacterial, fungal, viral, mycobacterial, protozoal, helminthic) T -cells/B-cells (LI P, sarcoidosis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis) BOOP (organizing pneumonia) Eosinophils (PIE syndromes) Alveolar hemorrhage (e.g., vasculitis, coagulopathy, focal processes) Protein (alveolar proteinosis) Embolus (e.g., thromboemboli, tumor emboli, septic emboli)

PULMONARY NODULE
A-NODULE Age Nicotine Old Films Doubling time Underlying diseases Lymph nodes Examinations Here is a partial list of causes of pulmonary nodules: LEAVE-THAT-CHEST-ALONE-PLEASE Lung cancer Embolism Aspirated foreign body Vasculitis Echinococcus Tumor metastasis Heart worm Amyloidoma Tuberculosis Coccidioides and other fungal diseases Hamartoma Enlarged pulmonary artery Sarcoidosis Teratoma Arteriovenous malformation Lymphoma Organizing pneumonia/BOOP

Necrobiotic nodules (rheumatoid arthritis) Eosinophilic granuloma Pseudotumor Localized anthrosilicosis EndotheliaI tumor (hemangiopericytoma) Atelectasis (round) Sequestration Erythrocytes (hematoma)

REFRACTORY HYPOTENSION
CRASHING Cardiovascular Respiratory Addison's/Acidosis Sepsis/toxic Hypocalcemia Inaccurate reading Neurologic GI bleed/internal bleeding The following m nemonic lists specific causes of refractory hypotension: ALARM-BP-THAT'S-DROPPING Artifact (poor cuff fit, peripheral vascular disease, superior vena cava syndrome) Liver failure Arrhythmia Right ventricular infarct Massive left ventricular infarct Blood transfusion Pulmonary embolism Tamponade Hypocalcemia Addison's Tension pneumothorax Sepsis Drugs/toxins (anaphylaxis, drug overdose, snake ve nom) Rewarming hypothermia Occult blood loss Pancreatitis PEEP/auto-PEEP Intubation (usually transient) Neurogenic (spinal cord injury, epidural anesthesia, dysa utonomia) Gastrointestinal bleeding

SARCOIDOSIS
HILAR-NODES* Hepatosplenomegaly Interstitial fibrosis, pulmonary Lymphadenopathy ArthraIgia/arthritis Renal (calcium metabolism abnormalities, nephrolithiasis) Neurologic involvement (unilateral facial paralysis, chronic meningitis, mass lesion) Ophthalmologic (uveitis, conjunctival granulomas, sicca syndrome) Diabetes insipidus/other pituitary deficiency Erythema nodosum/other skin lesion Salivary gland enlargement, bilateral * Clinical characteristics SARCOID-BLUES * * Skin rash Arthropathy/arthralgias Respiratory Central nervous system Optic (uveitis, iritis) Incidental finding on chest x-ray Dysrhythmia/cardiac dysfunction Bone marrow/spleen

Lofgren's syndrome (erythema nodosum, fever, malleolar, join pain, hilar adenopathy) Uveoparotid fever (e.g., Heerfordt's syndrome) Ear, nose, and throat Systemic symptoms (fever, chills, myalgias, hypercalcemia) * * Possible presentations