Asthma Case Study

Respiratory diseases such as asthma in the older population has contributed a significant impact in the health services (Mcdonald, Higgins, Gibson, Peter, 2013). The difficulty of experiencing the symptoms of asthma by the elderly population is complex and needs different approaches to be addressed (Mcdonald, Higgins, Gibson, Peter, 2013).

History of Present Illness: Ms. Dahlberg is a very pleasant 69-year-old woman who suffers from poorly controlled asthma. She has a recent exacerbation requiring hospitalization at Anna Jaques Hospital in June. Since discharge, she states that she has done well. She has stable dyspnea on exertion. She does feel that perhaps it might be slightly worse given the heat and humidity. She is not complaining of any cough. She is compliant with her bronchodilator regimen.

Task analysis is the process of obtaining information about a job by determining the duties, tasks, and activities involved and the knowledge, skills, and abilities required in performing each task. There can be broken down into six

In an emergency situation, why is a drug most commonly delivered via injection versus an oral route?

This assignment is a case study of a patient who was admitted to a respiratory ward with acute exacerbation of asthma. This assignment will discuss nursing an adult patient with asthma, also it will aim to critically assess, plan, implement and evaluate the patients nursing needs using the Roper, Logan and Tierney nursing model (1980). This case study will focus on the maintaining a safe environment. It is worth noting that the activities of daily living are interlinked e.g. according to Roper et al (1980) breathing is an activity that is crucial for life therefore all other activities are dependent on us being able to breathe. The nursing management, pharmacological agents and the tools used will be critically

R.J. is a 15-year-old boy with a history of asthma diagnosed at age 8. His asthma episodes are triggered by exposure to cats and various plant pollens. He has been using his albuterol inhaler 10 to 12 times per day over the last 3 days and is continuing to wheeze. He normally needs his inhaler only occasionally (2 or 3 times per week). He takes no other medications and has no other known medical conditions. Physical examination reveals moderate respiratory distress with a respiratory rate of 32, oximetry 90%, peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) 60% of predicted, and expiratory wheezing.

Asthma is a respiratory disease that many people deal with every single day. “According to World Health Organization, approximately 180,000 people die from asthma each year.” (Jardins and Burton 187) Most people never think of asthma as a life threatening disease, but it can be crucial. As the number of people with asthma increases, the more likely you are to come in contact with someone who has been diagnosed with this disease. Asthma is a severe breathing problem that has many complications that is dealt with daily like shortness of breath, chronic cough, tightness of the chest and shortness of breath, my main focus is childhood asthma, allergic asthma, and medication to treat asthma.

Her other past history includes mastoid surgery when she was forty. She has several environmental allergies and is also allergic to Sulfa, Slow-K, Ranitidine and Zinc. She doesn't smoke.

She reports a history of back pain, ovarian cysts excision, and breast tumor. She denies chest pain, shortness of breath, or palpitations. Patient reports that her immunizations and preventive care are up to

Asthma is a chronic condition affecting the respiratory system and has a considerable impact on both individuals and a population. Everybody is susceptible to asthma, some more than others, depending of a variety of factors including, age, sex, geographical location and income. Asthma is particularly prevalent in younger children and the elderly and while it can be fatal, most people have mild cases of asthma that are relatively easy to treat. The condition mainly impacts an individual’s physical ability to contribute to a community.

Asthma control varies over time due to severity and changes in the environment, for example, home, school and or work environments. There are several medications and combinations used to control asthma attacks. The first line of medication are inhaled corticosteroids used to prevent and reduce airway swelling and inhaled long-acting beta agonist used to keep the airways open and relaxed (AAFA, 2015). Examples of long-acting corticosteroids are fluticasone, budesonide, mometasone, beclomethasone, ciclesonide, flunisolide. Examples of LABA medications are salmeterol and formoterol; it is important to remind patients that these medications are not to be used in emergency situations. At times, both medications are used together in a single medication to treat asthma and prevent attacks. Some caution that patients should be aware that when using combination medication, the risk for severe asthma attacks increase (Mayo Clinic, 2015). Examples of combination medications are Advair (fluticasone and salmeterol), Symbicort (budesonide and formoterol), Dulera (mometasone and formoterol) and Breo (fluticasone and

Asthma may show symptoms of other diseases in an adult such as heart failure, COPD, rheumatic arthritis or stomach problems (Levy, et al., 2014). Therefore, age will have the greatest impact on diagnosis. A nurse practitioner must be aware of how adult onset asthma may mimic symptoms of other expected age related ailments. As a larger portion of adult onset asthma is initiated by allergies, acute pathophysiology may more closely resemble that of allergies (Levy, et al., 2014). Treatment for adult onset would be focused on maintaining as it is predominantly chronic in nature. Additionally, a thorough review of medication to ensure there are no incompatibilities (Levy, et al.,

Miss Brightman has been diasgnosed with asthma. Her current medication includes a short-acting beta2 agonist, when required, as well as a regularly inhaled corticosteroid. By referring to the BNF, this places Miss Brightman at step 2 on the asthma step therapy chart.

Janice’s recent symptoms are most in keeping with an infective exacerbation of her asthma and it may be that the previous infection has only been partially treated. I have given her a repeat script for Augmentin and advised her to continue with the higher dose Symbicort for now.

Asthma is a chronic airway disease that can be difficult to manage, resulting in poor outcomes and high costs (Kuhn et al., 2015). It is characterized by episodes of expiratory airflow obstruction, which occurs in response to multiple stimuli or triggers. Asthma is a lifelong disease, and symptoms include wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing. Attacks can be mild, moderate, severe, or even life threatening and limit a person’s way of life (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2011). There is no known cure for asthma, but symptoms can be controlled by avoiding the triggers and taking prescribed medicines that prevent or minimize symptoms.