Obstructive Lung Disease
This classification system uses FEV₁/FVC ratio and FEV₁ % predicted to stage COPD severity?
What is GOLD staging
According to stepwise therapy guidelines, this is the preferred rescue inhaler for intermittent asthma.
What is a short-acting beta-agonist (SABA), such as albuterol?
Per USPSTF guidelines, annual low-dose CT screening is recommended for adults aged 50–80 with this minimum pack-year smoking history.
What is 20 pack-years?
A patient presents with acute-onset dyspnea, pleuritic chest pain, and tachycardia after a long flight. The most important diagnosis to rule out.
What is pulmonary embolism?
This type of spacer device is recommended with MDIs to improve drug delivery and reduce oropharyngeal candidiasis from inhaled corticosteroids.
What is a valved holding chamber (spacer)?
This long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) is recommended as a first-line maintenance inhaler for most COPD patients with persistent symptoms.
What is Tiotropium (Spiriva)
A patient uses their albuterol inhaler 4 days per week and wakes up at night with cough twice a month. This is their asthma severity classification.
What is mild persistent asthma?
According to current guidelines, adults aged 50–80 with a 20 pack-year smoking history who currently smoke or quit within this many years should be screened.
What is 15 years?
This clinical decision rule helps determine whether a patient with suspected PE needs further workup, using 8 criteria including age <50 and heart rate <100.
What is the PERC rule?
A patient on fluticasone/salmeterol develops oral thrush. These two counseling points help prevent this side effect.
What are rinsing the mouth after use and using a spacer?
In a COPD patient on maximal inhaler therapy with frequent exacerbations, this oral medication (a PDE-4 inhibitor) can be added to reduce exacerbation frequency.
What is roflumilast (Daliresp)?
Before escalating asthma therapy, these three common issues should be assessed first.
What are inhaler technique, medication adherence, and trigger avoidance (environmental control)?
These are the two imaging characteristics of a pulmonary nodule that most increase the probability of malignancy.
What are larger size (>8mm) and spiculated margins?
A farmer presents with recurrent fevers, cough, and dyspnea 4–8 hours after working in a barn with moldy hay. This is the diagnosis and the causative antigen.
What is hypersensitivity pneumonitis (farmer's lung), caused by thermophilic actinomycetes?
This class of medications is contraindicated as monotherapy (without an ICS) in asthma due to increased risk of serious asthma-related events.
What are long-acting beta-agonists (LABAs)?
What is the recommended vaccination for COPD patients?
What is Annual flu vaccine and pneumococcal
In the updated GINA guidelines, this PRN combination inhaler is now recommended as the preferred reliever across all asthma severity steps, replacing SABA monotherapy.
What is PRN ICS-formoterol (e.g., budesonide-formoterol)?
This is the most common type of lung cancer detected through screening programs.
What is adenocarcinoma?
This rare condition, often seen in young adults with worsening shortness of breath, involves elevated pressures in the pulmonary arteries without an identifiable cause.
What is Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension?
A COPD patient is started on a new inhaler and develops acute urinary retention. This inhaler class is the most likely culprit.
What are anticholinergics/muscarinic antagonists (e.g., tiotropium, umeclidinium)?
This is the only intervention in COPD proven to reduce mortality, other than smoking cessation.
What is long term supplemental O2 therapy
This biologic medication targeting IgE is approved for moderate-to-severe allergic asthma uncontrolled on high-dose ICS/LABA.
What is omalizumab (Xolair)?
A 6mm solid pulmonary nodule is found incidentally on CT in a low-risk patient. Per Fleischner Society guidelines, this is the recommended follow-up.
What is a follow-up CT at 6–12 months (with no further imaging if stable)?
A 45-year-old woman presents with progressive dyspnea, dry cough, and bilateral ground-glass opacities with a "crazy paving" pattern on CT. PAS-positive material is found on BAL. This is the diagnosis.
What is pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP)?
This oral medication used for smoking cessation has also been shown to reduce airway inflammation and is a partial nicotinic receptor agonist.
What is varenicline (Chantix)?