Perioperative medicine & anaesthesia · UKMLA & AKT
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
A free high-yield preview for the UKMLA Applied Knowledge Test. Below are the key points to recognise chronic obstructive pulmonary disease — the full SA Note notes add investigations, management, complications and 10 practice questions.
Key high-yield points
- Gold standard: post-bronchodilator spirometry - FEV1/FVC <0.7 confirms obstruction; FEV1 % predicted grades severity (GOLD 1-4)
- CXR features (highly suggestive but not diagnostic alone):
- Hyperinflation (>6 anterior ribs visible above diaphragm)
- Flattened, depressed hemidiaphragms
- Hyperlucent lung fields (reduced vascular markings)
- Narrow cardiac silhouette; bullae may be visible
CXR findings are highly suggestive of COPD but spirometry is still required to confirm the diagnosis.
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