COPD Patient: A Case Study

| 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

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.

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

History of Present Illness: Ms. Manock is a very pleasant 60-year-old woman with a history of severe COPD. She was previously seen by Elvira Aguila, MD. Her last office visit was in February 2015. Since that time, she states that over the last few weeks, she feels her dyspnea has worsened which is a result of increased humidity, which is normal for her. She has had a stable cough over the last six months, which is intermittently productive of sputum. She is using her supplemental oxygen at 2 L/minute with exertion and with sleep. She also notes postnasal drip, which is related to seasonal allergies.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, or COPD, is a relatively common chronic illness that is treatable, however there is currently has no cure. COPD is an illness that encompasses two major illnesses these illnesses are chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Both of these illnesses wreak havoc on the lungs of the affected person by causing mucus to build up in the bronchioles henceforth reducing the effectiveness of the alveoli which impairs gas exchange. According to the American Lung Association, “COPD is the third leading cause of death in the United States. More than 11 million people have been diagnosed with COPD, but an estimated 24 million may have the disease without even knowing it” (American Lung Association [ALA], n.d.). As this data from the American Lung Association shows, in the United States alone we may have a total of 35 million people (almost one tenth of the American population) living with COPD. QSEN, which stands for Quality and Safety Education for Nurses, has developed six competencies related to nursing care. These competencies are Patient-Centered Care, Teamwork and Collaboration, Evidence-Based Practice, Quality Improvement, Safety, and Informatics. These aforementioned QSEN competencies break down how nurses should be treating patients and working with the health care team.

History of Present Illness: Mr. Magnuson is a very pleasant 77-year-old gentleman who was previously seen in this office by Elvira Aguila, MD for COPD and hypoxic respiratory failure. He is here today for routine followed up. He was last evaluated in January 2015. Since that time, he states that his dyspnea is worse. He feels that it is related to the weather. He does state that he works around the house, although he does have significant functional limitations because of shortness of breath. His wife also confirms that he is able to do less and less. He has a stable, minimal cough. He is using 4L of oxygen at night as well as, as needed throughout the day. He continues to smoke three to four cigarettes on

History of Present Illness: Ms. Babula is a very pleasant 76-year-old woman who was previously seen in this office by Elvira Aguila, MD for moderate COPD by pulmonary function testing in 2010. She is currently on monotherapy with Atrovent p.r.n. and she has not used her bronchodilators for quite some time. She does have some stable dyspnea on exertion, which does not limit any of her activities. She does take care of an 18-month-old child as well. She denies any cough, though she does feel that she has some chest congestion in the morning. She denies any chest pain or wheezing.

History of Present Illness: Ms. Crouthamel is a very pleasant 76-year-old woman who I saw in April for a COPD and hypoxic respiratory failure. She has had stable symptoms of shortness of breath. She denies any significant cough. She does state that the humid weather can make breathing difficult at times. She remains active by participating in work in her garden on a daily basis. She is on supplemental oxygen 24 hours a day. She does also admit to occasional tobacco use.

Millions of individuals suffer and die from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) each year in our nation. Currently, there is no cure for COPD; therefore, the most beneficial goal for these patients is to provide enhanced quality of life that includes limited admissions to the hospital setting and decreased exacerbations. Management of this disease process through proper patient education and multidisciplinary collaboration improves a COPD patient’s ability to maintain a healthier state of life as well as decrease their chance of a costly hospital readmission (Chamberlain, Lau, Siracuse, 2017).

The article “The COPD Exacerbation Experience: A Qualitative Descriptive Study” explains the health behavior of a selected population with Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The author of the article conducts a research study on individuals suffering from the condition due to the high prevalence of the disease in the United States. The article undertakes a qualitative and descriptive study in a bid to understand all aspects associated with the condition and the reasons for its high prevalence. This essay will focus on analyzing the application of Social Cognitive theory to explain the health behavior of a patient population with the COPD condition. The Social Cognitive Theory focuses on understanding an individual’s behavior, based on their observations. In the health behavior, the theory explains that a patient may learn different aspects of their illness considering the signs and symptoms that they may have.

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

Mr. Bishop is here for routine followup of his chronic illness. He is treated with Alvesco 160 mcg two puffs twice daily, Atrovent two puffs three times daily and Ventolin as needed for his COPD. He reports good compliance and uses these inhalers as prescribed. He generally uses his Ventolin with exercise. He reports that he is running 1-2 miles a day and also doing a step tape daily and reports good exercise tolerance. He does not wake at night coughing or feeling short of breath. For his hypertension, he takes hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg, and amlodipine 5 mg, and simvastatin 20 mg for his hyperlipidemia. He takes these as prescribed and denies any side effects. He denies

Let us first discuss your recent diagnosis of COPD. You may have wondered what COPD is and what caused it. Excellent questions! COPD stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2016). Chronic inflammation obstructs your airflow, resulting in trouble breathing and excess mucus production. So what exactly causes that chronic inflammation? Cigarette smoke and other noxious gases cause this inflammation in your lungs and airway (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2016). Not everyone who smokes gets COPD. Also, not everyone who has COPD smokes. Workplace exposure to noxious gases can also lead to COPD. Additionally, there is a genetic disorder that causes an underproduction of a lung protecting protein (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2016).

COPD patients need adequate amounts of fluids in order to help thin out and clear out lung secretions. It is important that COPD patients drink about 8 to 12 cups of non-caffeinated liquids per day. However, COPD can lead to fluid retention in some patients. If a patient is experiencing edema then they might be placed on a fluid restriction ("Nutrition Tips for Someone with COPD - COPD Foundation", 2016). Mr. Hayato had signs of swelling in his lower extremities. Mr. Hayato needs adequate amounts of fluid, but needs less than 8 cups of non-caffeinated liquids due to his fluid retention.

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