General Examination

General Examination Higher intellectual functions: - Comment: mentality, memory, consciousness level. - Importance: markedly affected in carbon dioxide narcosis in respiratory failure. Body built: - Comment: underbuilt, or overbuilt for the age. - Importance: 1. Underbuilt for age: a) Congenital chest disease inhibiting growth, e.g. infected cystic lung, and bronchial asthma since childhood. b) Chronic debilitating disease. e.g. TB

&

Malignancy.

2. Overbuilt for age: - Pickwickian syndrome: Obesity, Corpulmonale, Central cyanosis, Somnolence. Look of the patient: 1. Pallor: in TB & pulmonary embolism. 2. Toxic or earthy: ( pallor + yellowish tinge ): - In toxemia, e.g. bronchopneumonia, bronchiectasis, lung abscess, malignancy. 3. Puffy: ( edema of the face ): - In mediastinal syndrome. Decubitus: - Lying on the affected side: pleurisy & pleural effusion. - Lying semisitting: orthopnea. General Comment The patient is conscious, co-operative, oriented with average mentality. The patient is under- or over- built for his age. The patient has no special look & no special decubitus.