Red Flags
by Adele Sharp
1. PAIN
1.1. Persistent Night Pain
1.2. Unremitting
1.3. Progressive
1.4. Chest pain
1.5. constant/severe extremity pain
1.6. frequent/severe abdominal pain
1.7. NO CHANGE WITH
1.7.1. MOVEMENT
1.7.2. POSITION
2. Extremeties
2.1. severe pain
2.2. Swelling after trauma/injury
2.3. Colour change in hands/feet
3. Swelling after injury/trauma
3.1. in abdomen
3.2. in extremeties
4. Feeling unwell
4.1. recurrent infections
4.2. Fever
4.3. Night sweats
5. Commonest cancers that mestatise to bone
5.1. Breast
5.2. Thyroid
5.3. Prostate
5.4. Kidney
5.5. Lung
5.6. Spine is most common place to mestatise
5.6.1. Tsp in breast Ca
5.6.2. lsp in cervix/colon
5.6.3. Tends to spread by Batson's venous Plexus
5.6.3.1. Network of valveless veins, connect deep pelvic veins/thoracic veins (draining the inferior end of the urinary bladder, breast/ prostate) to internal vertebral venous plexuses. Because of location/lack of valves, believed to provide a route spreading Ca metastases. Segment closest to Ca believed to metastise first.
6. FEELING UNWELL
6.1. Fever
6.2. Night sweats
6.3. Recurrent Infections
7. New Onset
7.1. <20 >50
8. Family HXX
9. Cancer Hxx
10. cvs/ventilatory
10.1. Unmanaged SOB
10.2. Cough >6/52
10.3. chest pain
11. Fatigue
12. digestion/urinary
12.1. frequent/severe adominal pain
12.2. change in bladder function
12.3. frequent nausea/vomiting
13. NEUROLOGICAL
13.1. Headaches
13.1.1. Recent with hxx of HA
13.1.2. Sudden/abrupt
13.1.3. worst pain in life
13.1.4. Hxx of Ca (metastasise)
13.1.5. HIV PT's
13.2. changes to
13.2.1. vision
13.2.2. speech
13.2.3. hearing
13.2.4. balance/co-ordination INVESTIGATE FALLS/TRIPS