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Palliative cancer care - cough - Management
What should I look for on examination?
- Examine the person to help determine the underlying cause of the cough:
- Decreased chest wall movement — lung collapse, pleural effusion.
- Percussion note — dull in the case of lung collapse, stony dull in the case of pleural effusion.
- Breath sounds — bronchial or 'blowing' quality over areas of consolidation.
- Wheeze/stridor — endobronchial tumour.
- Crepitations — exudate in the bronchioles (e.g. infection, heart failure).
- Assess respiratory rate and effort. If dyspnoea is present, see the CKS topic on Palliative cancer care - dyspnoea.
- Assess the effectiveness of the cough, and whether it is dry, moist, productive, or non-productive.
In depth
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