Case Study Asthma

A quite common, yet still horrible disease that people suffer from is asthma, which my uncle suffers from. It’s a terrible thing when you see them pull out that inhaler. You see the pain in their eyes. Also, how they have suffered with this horrendous condition of simply not being able to breath. Asthma is a non-communicable disease that plagues many people around the globe.

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

When an asthmatic takes an inhaler “Albuterol sulfate”, the medication works by reducing the inflammation in the airway paths “bronchi and bronchioles” of the lungs, allowing the patient to breath without constriction or symptoms of asthma.

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.

Acute severe asthma previously called status asthmaticus is a life threatening medical condition characterized by bouts of repeated and worsening cough, wheezing, chest recession and inability to speak or drink that may result in acute respiratory failure and even death.1 These patients are also at risk for developing serious complications like aspiration pneumonia, pneumo-mediastinum, pneumothorax and hypoxic brain injury etc. 1Inhaled high dose short acting β2 agonists like salbutamol along with systemic steroids and supplemental oxygen are considered as first line treatment in all patients who

Eight-year-old B.J. has had asthma for 2 years since he had acute bronchitis. He was tested for allergies and demonstrated marked responses to a number of animals, pollens, and molds. B.J. also has a history of asthma related to exposure to very cold weather.

This paper will discuss and explore five-year-old Jessica White, who presented to the emergency department suffering from asthma (School of Nursing & Midwifery 2014). Firstly, this paper will scope the normal pathophysiology of the respiratory system and then discuss the abnormalities in relation to Jessica’s respiratory system and the reasoning behind her asthma due to being exposed to a certain trigger. In addition, it will discuss the pharmacology in relation to two medications in which Jessica has been prescribed, and how these medications will provide relief for Jessica and improve her asthma. Lastly, this paper will explore the signs and symptoms of asthma that Jessica presented with at the hospital and how they are associated with asthma.

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 one of the most common chronic diseases and recognized as a growing public health concern. Exposure to tobacco smoke either through active smoking or by secondhand smoke can cause and/or exacerbate an asthma attack or asthma symptoms (Californian Environmental Protection Agency [Cal EPA, 2006]). In a person with asthma, exposure to cigarette smoke can initiate and worsens asthma by irritating the airways to cause asthma symptoms (World Health Organization [WHO, 2010]). The impact of Asthma is not limited to those with the disease, but also affect their family members, friends, schools and businesses (WHO, 2010).

A 26-year-old woman went to the emergency department complaining of shortness of breath over the previous three days that had increased in intensity (Nash & Goldfarb, 2006). The patient was at the hospital for over three hours before she was able to see a physician. The physician did a complete exam and ordered blood tests, a chest x-ray, lung scan, and electrocardiogram. The patient waited for three more hours before the physician told her that he believed she had asthma and should follow up with her primary care physician. The

The key to living with asthma successfully is to keep it under control. Limit contact with asthma triggers by controlling your environment, monitoring your condition with a peak flow meter, and following the treatment plan strictly. It could be hard to follow all these important safety points in mind, but they are worth

Features of asthma include increased airway response to stimuli (internal or external to body), airway obstruction via bronchospasms, inflammation of airways, and is treatable but not curable. Asthma is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors (immune response, allergens, exercise, air pollutants, occupational factors, respiratory tract infections, nose and sinus problems, drugs and food additives, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and psychological factors). Symptoms include recurring bouts of wheezing, breathlessness, coughing, tightness in the chest; symptoms being most common at nights or early morning. The rate of Australians suffering from asthma is one of the highest in the world (8-12% of population or 2 million people) and this rate is increasing. (Kaufman 2015)

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

At the time of the visit, although we reviewed in detail using model lungs, illustrated instructions, and an asthma video to describe asthma pathophysiology, the purpose, preferred delivery method and care of his asthma medications, his mom was unable to teach back any of the information we reviewed. When the asthma educator continued with explaining when and how to prime the medications, how and why to use an aero chamber, knowing when to refill his prescriptions and when to begin treatment of the quick relief medication; mom was also not able to repeat any of the instructions reviewed.