Asthma Exacerbation

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

On our honor, we pledge that we have neither given nor received any unauthorized assistance on this case study

Asthma is best described as a chronic inflammation the pulmonary lower airways because of hyperresponsiveness of lower airway obstructions that is usually reversible (Fireman, 2003). Asthma is triggered by cold air, exercise, viral upper respiratory infections, cigarette smoking, and respiratory allergens. One in 12 people in the United States has been diagnosed with asthma which is approximately 25 million people which accounts for 8% of the total population (AAAAI, 2016). It is estimated that the average cost for care of asthma in the United States is about $3,300.00 yearly in related medical expenses, missed school, missed worked days and early death (AAAAI, 2016). The purpose of this paper is to describe the long-term treatment

America’s cities have been built upon population growth and economic development — essentially meeting the economic needs of investors. The problem is that public leaders don’t always think about public health. Thinking about what to build, and taking into consideration the health of the people in the community. According to Dr. Jackson, co-author of Designing healthy communities, states ‘what really impacts people’s health is where they live, how they live, and the other people they are with’ — i.e. their surrounding community. (Designing, 2013.)

The good thing about asthma is that there are a lot of medications available to help treat asthma sufferers with acute onset of symptoms as well as help with the long term prognosis of patients. Asthma medications are classified into two groups, Controller and quick-relief. Controller medications are designed to help prevent asthma attacks. Their purpose is to try and reduce the chronic inflammation thus making the body less likely to react to triggers. Some of these include long-acting beta-agonists, Leukotriene modifiers, Mast cell stabilizers, Theophylline, and immunomodulators. Long-acting beta agonists are bronchodilators that assist in opening up your airways. These are normally aerolized medications. The bronchodilator causes the muscles

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory lung disease that affects approximately 22 million people in the United States. Six million of those people are children, making it the most common chronic disease of children (“What is Asthma” and National 1). Asthma may be associated with morbidity, mortality, and diminished quality of life. Asthma is considered a long-term disease because there is currently no cure (Young). Further defining this disorder will be achieved by explaining the disease and symptoms, addressing how it is acquired, ways physicians diagnose it, and elaborating on treatments.

During the clinical experience, I was able to care for a patient with the diagnosis of adult onset asthma. J. D. was a twenty-year-old with a one-year history of mild persistent asthma. His body mass index was 30, and he was a former 1/2 pack per day smoker for one year. Also, other lifestyle factors included social alcohol drinking (1-2 drinks per/day) over the last year since he moved out on his own. He did not regularly exercise, and he admitted to not using his daily Qvar. He lives with a roommate that does smoke in the apartment. His sister was the only family member with asthma and was diagnosed in childhood. He was being treated with a low dose inhaled daily corticosteroid (Qvar 80 mcg/daily) and a short-acting

Having Asthma can affect a person in a number of ways. The physical symptoms can range from the occasional cough all the way to life-threatening cases which are not being able to breathe. The seriousness and frequency of asthma symptoms is all dependant on how well the individual can control their Asthma. There are three symptoms of Asthma, the first being airway obstruction. Allergic substances and environmental triggers make a chain of muscle surrounding the airways tighten, and air cannot move freely. So my theory for this type of symptom would be; if a person was running through a park surrounded with many blossoming flowers, they began to sneeze and became short of breath would be because of the pollen floating around in the air. The second symptom is inflammation; with this type people have red swollen bronchial tubes, which are the airways of the lungs. This inflammation is thought to add greatly to the long-term damage Asthma can cause to the lungs. So my understanding for this type would be; a person has had inflammation for years and now has severe damage to his lungs. So therefore, treating this inflammation would be to the key to managing Asthma in the long run. The third symptom is airway irritability; the airways for people with this type are extremely sensitive. The airways tends to overreact and narrow due even the smallest triggers like pollen or animal dander, My theory for this type would be; If a person has got a new with really messy hair that

Asthma is a chronic lung disease characterized by episodes in which the bronchioles constrict due to oversensitivity. In asthma, the airways (bronchioles) constrict making it difficult to get air in or out of the lungs. Breathlessness is the main symptom. The bronchi and bronchioles become inflamed and constricted. Asthmatics usually react to triggers. Triggers are substances and situations that would not normally trouble an asthma free person. Asthma is either extrinsic or intrinsic. Extrinsic is when the inflammation in the airway is a result of hypersensitivity reactions associated with allergy (food or pollen). Intrinsic asthma is linked to hyper responsive reactions to other forms of

Asthma is a disease of the lungs that can be influenced by different genes or alleles. When the epithelial or mucosal barrier is exposed to pollens, allergens, microbes or pollutants, these can stimulate the underlying antigen presenting cells (APC) which causes an immune response to occur.17 This can cause a cell influx into the airway that is primarily eosinophilic or neutrophilic. When the allergens present themselves, they can initiate a breakdown in the physical barriers, causing further allergic, inflammatory responses.

Asthma is an inflammation of the airways. Smooth muscles get tight and trap air in alveoli. When a person is in asthma attack he has a dry cough, shortness breathing and feels tightness in the chest. It often happens at night. Usually asthma comes in several generations and the causes of it are not fully understood. Common triggers are stress, pollen, dust, animal dangers, pollution, mold, changing weather conditions and chemicals. There are two types of asthma- extrinsic and intrinsic. Most common type of asthma is extrinsic asthma. Extrinsic asthma is based of allergies but intrinsic of weather conditions (to cold, dry air)

Pamela was seen today following her trial of Alvesco and her stress myocardial perfusion scan. Reassuringly, the stress myocardial perfusion scan was normal showing godd ventricular function and no obvious evidence of ischemic heart disease.

The main purpose of this article was for the authors to run an experiment to find out if there is any correlation between children who are admitted to the hospital for asthma exacerbations and where they live in proximity to major roadways. By doing this, they found that there appears to be a positive relationship between asthma occurrences and traffic exposures. This could be a more serious problem in heavily populated cities that have a lot of people living in a small area combined with busy roads. For a health care provider and others who work with a multicultural population, it is important to be aware of this link and other possible factors that could potentially cause asthma. By being aware of this study, nurses can potentially identify and treat patients that have symptoms of asthma much quicker.

Asthma treatment is an area of ongoing research that has provided both pharmaceutical and herbal remedies as potential treatments for the elimination of symptoms, and preferable the condition altogether. An increasing number of patients are seeking natural alternatives for primary treatment. Numerous studies have been conducted by herbalists correlating the use of particular herbs and the reduction of asthma symptoms in patients.

What causes asthma, exacerbations can be caused by multiple different triggers as I have kind of mentioned already. Your body becomes sensitive to certain things. These substances and conditions are your triggers, and can be anything from allergens, dust, mites and small particles. Exactly where asthma comes from is still a mystery. Some people have asthma from birth. “It isn't clear why some people get asthma and others don't, but it's probably due to a combination of environmental and genetic (inherited) factors.” (Mayo Clinic.org) One theory as to where asthma comes from is that it might be inherited from your parents. Another thing that may cause asthma are respiratory infections when you are young. Allergies and viral infections may also