Asthma Patient

Jane’s asthma was acute severe. Initially to alleviate some of Jane’s breathlessness she was sat up right in the bed and supported with pillows to improve air entry. Due to her low oxygen saturations she was placed on 40% oxygen via Hudson mask (BTS 2006), as Jane was mouth breathing the mask was the appropriate device to use to ensure adequate oxygenation (Walsh 2002). According to Inwald et al (2001) hypoxemia is frequently a primary cause in numerous asthma related deaths. By administering oxygen promptly, for acute severe asthma, serious hypoxemia

The main priority for all the pediatric patient was to make sure they are getting enough air. They needed an open airway. Without an open airway nothing else matters. To help with the patients airways we monitored their O2 sats and if they were low we made sure to apply oxygen, and continue to monitor their sats. Once oxygen was applied we worked on

The patient should inhale the medication rapidly. Otherwise the dry particles will stick to the

The intravenous dosage in this case is 0.5 - 1 mg/kg IV (range: 0.5 - 2 mg/kg).

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 is one of the most prevalent respiratory diseases. It is a chronic condition with recurring, exacerbations characterized by bronchial hyper-responsiveness and inflammation leading to airflow obstruction (Cabana, et al., 2014). Over time, the chronic inflammation may cause permanent damage to the airway (Wenzel, 2012). Asthma affects people of all ages but typically begins in childhood (Wenzel, 2012). This paper will explore the pathophysiological mechanisms of chronic asthma and acute asthma exacerbation. Additionally, it will cover how age and behavior can impact the pathophysiology and influence the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Finally, mind maps will illustrate, visually, the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment of both the chronic and acute phase of asthma.

However one would be lax if they didn’t take this as a serious situation. A patient with a partial airway obstruction can be presenting in a couple different ways. In the stable patient the signs may be mild and mostly just worrisome and irritating to the patient. In these cases even thou there is a need to obtain definitive care in is imperative to remain calm so as not to worry the patient. One should consider immediate administration of oxygen by non rebreather to make sure the patient remains stable along with encouraging the patient to cough if the feel the need. However in an unstable patient you would expect to hear noisy respirations, coughing and gagging. As the patient continues to deteriorate the coughing will become feeble and signs of respiratory distress such as anxiety, lethargy and even cyanosis will become apparent.[Joynt 2015] In these cases it is imperative to initiate aggressive oxygen therapy immediately. In cases such as these a paramedic could employ several different methods to ensure the patient doesn’t progress to a complete obstruction. First would be to visualize as much of the airway as possible with the naked eye and remove any obstruction visible. However this is not too be confused with the blind figure sweep of the past. One should never attempt to remove an object that they can not see. Another

Knowing your doctor’s availability, especially if you are used to having intense asthmatic reactions is really important for your own health and well being. Get a good idea of what your doctor’s hours are, are going to be, or if they will be fluctuating at all throughout the

However, there is a multitude of effective ways to treat the disease that can increase the lifespan of an affected person. Constant vigilance for changes in one’s health is crucial. The main goals of treating the disease are clearing out mucus from the lungs and pancreas to prevent infection and providing necessary nutrition due to metabolic problems. A common treatment is the use of antibiotics, which aid in thinning excess mucus, lowering the risk of infection and increasing metabolism. Devices called nebulizers, which convert liquid medicine into a breathable “mist”, are used to easily move medication into the lungs through inhalation. Another common treatment is anti-inflammatories, which lessen swelling in your airways. To address digestive problems, people may take supplements of pancreatic digestive enzymes to increase the amount of absorbed nutrients within the body. In severe cases, surgical procedures may be applied to control the disease. Procedures include nasal polyp removal, where doctors remove any obstructive buildups in the nose, Endoscopy, where mucus is physically removed through endoscopes. In the most critical or life-threatening cases, a lung transplant may be performed to completely rid the patient of mucus buildup in the thoracic cavity. Unfortunately, due to the way mucus builds up in the lungs, a lung transplant requires both lungs to be

All patients were followed with pulmonary artery catheters and invasive blood pressure. After orotracheal intubation, patients were ventilated with intermittent positive pressure with a tidal volume of 8 mL / kg, final expiratory positive pressure of 5 to 8 cmH2O and FiO2 of 60 to 100% to maintain arterial oxygen saturation above 95%.

Next, administration of oxygen is essential for all patients presenting signs of hypoxia (Higginson, Jones, & Davies, 2010). There are two types of devices available; low flow devices such as the nasal cannula or a simple facial mask, and a non-rebreathing mask used as a high flow device. The low flow devices are used for the provision of oxygen in low concentration (two to four litres) whereas, a non-breathable mask can be used to provide 15 litres of oxygen to ensure 100% oxygen available to a patient. In Margaret's case, if the SPO2 level does not improve the concentration of oxygen can be improved to four litres. However, regular assessment and evaluation of care are crucial (Tait et al., 2016). Dougherty et al. (2015) describe that

The main goal in the treatment of asthma in elderly is to gain control of the asthma, or being able to live with asthma as an elderly person (Antonelli- Incalzi, 2010). Inhaled methods are the best way to administer drugs dealing asthma. But in elderly patient the inhaled methods can be difficult to take because of strength of patient or over all mental health of patient. Nebulizers and inhalers are a way that certain drugs can be given to the patients. As long as the patients have the strength to administer the drugs. (Antonelli- Incalzi, 2010).If the patients do not have the strength to give themselves the inhaler or nebulizer the patients go undertreated. Treatment can be as simple as removing the patients from the situations or allergies that cause that patient to get worse. (Antonelli- Incalzi, 2010). This can often be the most difficult thing for the patients to understand, when the allergens that are causing their symptoms have been a part of their lives for a long time. Educating the patients on these simple steps can do wonders on the status of their asthma. Prevent trips to the doctor, emergency situations and sometimes death. Treatment and preventive measures go hand in hand. There is no point in knowing anything about the treatment of asthma in elderly patients if the patients are not doing anything to help prevent

Breathing techniques such as inhaling through the nose and breathing out from the mouth slowly can be helpful for a patient to be aware of. Last, the patient should always have the physician’s information if asthma attacks become more frequent or they believe their inhaler to not be helping.

within 72 hrs of the initial lung injury which includes, shortness of breath, fast breathing,

N.J. can enhance the absorption of beclomethasone inhaler by using albuterol first. There is evidence that a major contributor to poor asthma control is poor inhaler technique (Burns, 2012). It is vital to educate N.J. on correct inhaler technique for successful asthma control. N.J. needs to rinse his mouth with water after each use of ICS to help reduce dry mouth, hoarseness, and candidiasis infection. N.J. also needs to understand that ICS are used as a preventive therapy and not to be used as abortive asthma medication. The patient should be advised to continue to use ICS even when not having asthma symptoms (Woo & Robinson,