Hemoptysis
Hemoptysis is the sudden coughing of blood or blood-tinged sputum. This is a condition that has to be investigated well since this is secondary to a primary disorder.
Patients with hemoptysis will present with the following:
– cough
– gurgling sounds in the lungs
– crackles and
– signs of the underlying primary disease
Listed below are the differential diagnosis of hemoptysis:
A. Infection
– lung abscess
– pneumonia
– tuberculosis
– bronchiectasis
– parasites
– herpes simplex
– fungus
B. Foreign Body that is retained
C. Congental defects
– heart defects
– Eisenmenger syndrome
– av malformations
– pulmonary sequestrations
– bronchogenic cysts
D. Inflammatory autoimmunity
– Henoch-schonlein purpura
– Goodpasture syndrome
– Wegener granulomatosis
– systemic lupus erythematosus
– sarcoidosis
E. Pulmonary hemosiderosis
F. Trauma
– contusion
– fractured trachea
– gun shot wound
G. Iatrogenic problem
H. Tumors
I: Pulmonary embolus
When a patient will present with hemoptysis at emergency room, the physician will make sure:
* that the patient’s airway is patent
* that the patient will be placed on oxygenation
* that the patient’s coagulation factors are taken and if there is a problem then correction will be done
* and once stabilized, other diagnostic procedures like bronchoscopy can be done.