COPD Case Study Essay

R.W. appears with progressive difficulty getting his breath while doing simple tasks, and also having difficulty doing any manual work, complains of a cough, fatigue, and weight loss, and has been treated for three respiratory infections a year for the past 3 years. On physical examination, CNP notice clubbing of his fingers, use accessory muscles for respiration, wheezing in the lungs, and hyperresonance on percussion of the lungs, and also pulmonary function studies show an FEV1 of 58%. These all symptoms and history represented here most strongly indicate the probability of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is a respiratory disease categorized by chronic airway inflammation, a decrease in lung function over time, and gradual damage in quality of life (Booker, 2014).

| This is important because we need to look at the relevant data and realize that she seems to be in distress and first take care of that. Also realize that she seems to have an infection. With this information we are able to prioritize

The study began with 32 patients having stages II to IV COPD. They had to meet the criteria pertaining to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; total lung capacity >120%, (FEV1/FVC) <70%, FEV1 <80%, RV/TLC >140% and >40% of predicted values in stable conditions. Patients were removed from the study if they had asthma, heart failure, orthopedic impairments of the shoulder girdle, recent surgery, past thoracic fractures, pneumothorax, and claustrophobia.

This is a case study on a 76 year old man.Mr Alan Chari(pseudonym used to protect the identity of a patient),was admitted over night in my department.He is a divorcee who stays with son.He is a retired teacher and his son is permanently employed by a local company as an electrician.He is independent with activities of daily livings but is occasionally limited by his ill health.He used to be a heavy smoker .After realising the burden COPD has on general New Zealand population ,affecting about15% of the adult population over the age of 45 years according to asthmanz( 2010) ,l took this case study to gain in-depth understanding.

In this reflective piece of writing I will be explaining how chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects the patient physically, psychologically ,and socially ,I will also explain how the disease affects his daily routine and how it impacts on his family life. I will give an overview of the clinical signs and symptoms, how the disease alters the pathphysiology of the lungs, and what these changes cause within the body.

The effectiveness of Family Support Caregiver in improving the Functional Status of Client with Pulmonary Diseases.

The World Health Organization (WHO) (2006A) defines COPD as a disease state characterized by airflow limitation that is not wholly reversible. The airflow limitation is usually both progressive and associated with abnormal inflammatory response of the lungs to noxious particles or gases. John's chronic bronchitis is defined, clinically, as the presence of a chronic productive cough for 3 months in each of 2 successive years, provided other causes of chronic cough have been ruled out. (Mannino, 2003). The British lung Foundation (BLF) (2005) announces that chronic bronchitis is the inflammation and eventual scarring of the lining of the bronchial tubes which is the explanation for John's dyspnea. The BLF (2005) believe that when the bronchi become inflamed less air is able to flow to and from the lungs and once the bronchial tubes have been irritated over a long period of time, excessive mucus is produced. This increased sputum results from an increase in the size and number of goblet cells (Jeffery, 2001) resulting in John's excessive mucus production. The lining of the bronchial tubes becomes thickened and an irritating cough develops, (Waugh & Grant 2004) which is an additional symptoms that john is experiencing.

D.Z., a 65-year-old man, is admitted to a medical floor for exacerbation of his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; emphysema). He has a past medical history of hypertension, which has been well controlled by Enalapril (Vasotec) for the past 6 years. He has had pneumonia yearly for the past 3 years, and has been a 2-pack-a-day smoker for 38 years. He appears as a cachectic man who is experiencing difficulty breathing at rest. He reports cough productive of thick yellow-green sputum. D.Z. seems irritable and anxious; he complains of sleeping poorly and states that lately feels tired most of the time. His vital signs (VS) are 162/84, 124, 36, 102 F, SaO2 88%. His admitting diagnosis is an acute

The topic is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). It is an umbrella term used for respiratory disorders such as chronic asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema. It is a serious condition that restricts airflow to the lungs and is not fully reversible. It is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Australia. More than 1 in 20 Australians over 55 have COPD and is also the fifth leading cause of death. There is also a rate of 1,008 per 100,000 of the population aged 55 and over being hospitalized for the condition. The rates among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders compared with non-indigenous Australians are 2.5 times as high (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2016). There is no cure however; the management can slow the disease progression and is therefore crucial to the quality of life of patients.

Some of the laboratory testing used to identify COPD are arterial blood gas and increased hematocrit levels. Arterial blood gas testing will reveals hypoxemia and hypercarbia due to the retention

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, also known as COPD, is the third leading cause of death in the United States. COPD includes extensive lungs diseases such as emphysema, non-reversible asthma, specific forms of bronchiectasis, and chronic bronchitis. This disease restricts the flow of air in and out of the lungs. Ways in which these limitations may occur include the loss of elasticity in the air sacs and throughout the airways, the destruction of the walls between air sacs, the inflammation or thickening of airway walls, or the overproduction of mucus in airways which can lead to blockage. Throughout this paper I am going to explain the main causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and ways to reduce COPD.

There are no cure for this disease. However, there are different treatment to prevent further deterioration of the lungs function in order to improve the quality of life of the patient by increasing capacity of their physical activity. One of the main severe complication a patient with COPD can develop is exacerbation. Increased breathlessness, increased sputum volume and purulent sputum are the signs and symptoms of exacerbation. Early detection of the signs of exacerbation can help keep the condition of the patient from worsening. The treatments of COPD mainly aims at controlling the symptoms of exacerbation such as taking inhalers. Patients who are over the age of 35 and ex-smokers with chronic cough and bronchitis are recommended to have spirometer (NICE, 2004). This is because it is possible to delay or prevent patients from developing severe case of COPD is identified before they lose their lungs functions. Oxygen therapy is another treatment for COPD as the patients with this condition has high

I will analyse the prevalence of the condition and what the potential causes may be. My interests have been directed to pre hospital care and community lead treatment packages, which are potentially available to the patient, as this is the acute environment, which I will have contact with in my employment as a paramedic. The initial reading was to understand COPD as a chronic condition, what is COPD? and its prevalence in the population. The (World health organisation, 2000), states that one in four deaths in the world are caused by COPD. In 2010 (Vos T Flaxman etal, 2012), says globally there were approximately 329 million, which is 4.8% of the population who are affected by this chronic condition, In the UK (NICE, 2010), have estimated that 3 million people suffer from COPD, with more yet to be diagnosed. This information about the amount of people living with this condition was surprising, as I little knowledge of its existence. During the early 1960’s (Timothy Q. Howes, 2005), says the term COPD had been designated as a single term unifying all the chronic respiratory diseases. Since then the term COPD, has been sub divided in to three umbrella areas, Bronchitis, Emphysema and Chronic asthma, which are separate conditions, which I have been previously aware of as their individual conditions. The 58 year old patient who we visited,

All over the world, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a very significant and prevalent cause of morbidity and mortality, and it is increasing with time (Hurd, 2000; Pauwels, 2000; Petty, 2000). Due to the factor of COPD being an underdiagnosed and undertreated disease, the epidemiology (Pauwels, Rabe, 2004) is about 60 to 85 % with mild or moderate COPD remaining undiagnosed (Miravitlles et al., 2009; Hvidsten et al., 2010).

Ineffective breathing pattern related to decreased oxygen saturation, poor tissue perfusion, obesity, decreased air entry to bases of both lungs, gout and arthritic pain, decreased cardiac output, disease process of COPD, and stress as evidenced by shortness of breath, BMI > 30 abnormal breathing patterns (rapid, shallow breathing), abnormal skin colour (slightly purplish), excessive diaphoresis, nasal flaring and use of accessory muscles, statement of joint pain, oxygen saturations of 85-95% 2L NP, immobility 95% of the day, and adventitious sounds throughout lungs (crackles) secondary to CHF, hypertension, pain caused by gout and arthritis, and obesity