COPD Case Study Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an interchangeable phrase used to describe respiratory diseases characterized by airway obstruction. COPD is now a well-known and serious chronic disease, killing many and affecting a mass number of people per year. COPD is a result in restricted (obstructed) airflow in the lungs. Obstructive diseases include bronchitis, in which inflammation causes chronic bronchial secretions and narrowing of the bronchi and emphysema a permanent destructive enlargement of the airspaces within the lung. 1) What clinical findings are likely in R.S. as a consequence of his COPD? There are a number of clinical findings that can be consequences due to R.S. COPD. R.S. has developed chronic bronchitis also coined as typed B COPD or the blue bloater. A productive cough or an acute chest illness is common. The cough mostly is worse in the mornings and creates a small amount of colorless sputum. Wheezing may occur in some patients, predominantly during exertion and exacerbations (Mosenifar, 2014). Alterations in the airway involve chronic inflammation and swelling of the bronchial mucosa causing scarring with increased fibrosis of the mucous membrane. There is hypertrophy of the bronchial glands and goblets cell with an increase in bronchial wall thickness, which leads to an obstruction of airflow. Goblet cells and mucosal glands that experience hypertrophy cause a product of increased mucus that then combines with purulent exudate
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).
Rationale: L.J. exhibits symptoms of COPD that include shortness of breath and productive cough. He has a smoking history of 65-pack-year and smoking has been identified as the primary cause/trigger of the disease (Nagelmann et al., 2011).
During the second week of my clinical rotation, I had the privilege of being with the respiratory department, as a result of that my research of the Continuity of Care topic will be based on the topic of COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). COPD patients are usually readmitted due to acute exacerbations also known as (AECOPD). (Laverty et al., 2015). In this paper, we explore the COPD discharge care bundles which have been developed by different authors. The care bundle consists of a short list of certain evidence-based practices to be utilized or implemented before discharge for all patients who have been admitted with COPD, based on reviewing national guidelines, evidenced based practices, expert opinion, other relevant literature, peer-reviewed journals and patient consultation. (Hopkinson et al., 2012).
COPD, or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, is one of the most common lung diseases. Thousands of people are diagnosed every year, and it recently moved up to the 3rd leading cause of death in the U.S., behind heart disease and cancer. This paper will discuss disease pathology, the most common and recently discovered diagnostic tests, as well as treatment options. It will also address end of life care.
I work as a respiratory therapist and treat patients diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Smoking is a leading cause associated with developing COPD. As a professional working in the healthcare field, I have been fortunate and educated about the dangers and consequences linked to cigarette smoking. I have treated and have experience with individuals who have smoked and developed COPD. Also, as an educator, I have tried to help individuals quit smoking to improve overall health. As an educator, I view smoking as an addiction to the drug nicotine and managing cravings will help individuals quit smoking.
What is COPD? It is a preventable and treatable disease that is described by airflow limitations that is not fully reversible. The airflow limitations are progressive and usually caused by such lifestyle choices like smoking cigarettes. COPD is a term used to describe progressive lung diseases including emphysema, chronic
COPD which is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is known as a condition that progressively makes it harder to breathe because the airflow into and out of the lungs is reduced. This usually occurs because the airways and air sacs lose their elastic quality, the walls between the air sacs are destroyed, the walls of the airways become swollen, or if the airways are clogged because they made more mucus than usual. Three main conditions of this disease are emphysema, chronic obstructive bronchitis, and asthma. Most patients who suffer from COPD also suffer from emphysema and chronic bronchitis as to why they are commonly just defined as COPD. The patients who experience one or more of these conditions usually find it even more difficult to
Although together chronic bronchitis and emphysema make up COPD and both affect respiratory system, these two diseases have different effects. Chronic bronchitis is a disease that irritates and makes the airways get inflamed. The body’s natural response to irritation in the airways is to produce more mucus. With the air ways inflamed and the excess mucus it becomes difficult to breath. On the other hand we have emphysema; emphysema affects the air sacs in the lungs (alveoli). The alveoli walls become damaged and can even be ruined; because of this many small alveoli reduce to big alveoli instead. This makes the gas exchange (oxygen into the body carbon-dioxide out) go down. Patients often suffer many symptoms before the visit a doctor and get a COPD diagnosis.
The defining feature of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is the limited airflow during forced exhalation that is not fully reversible(R. Higginson, 2010). On assessment of Terry’s condition it was found he has a moderate work of breathing, a respiratory rate of 30, diminished breath sounds, has a barrel chest and uses tripod positioning. The inability to expire air is a major concern and characteristic of copd(Di Brown, 2015). The primary site of airflow is limited and the airways are reduced in size, reducing the amount of air that can get in and out of the lungs(R. Higginson, 2010). As the airways become smaller and obstructed, air is trapped during expiration due to the volume of residual air greatly increasing, destroying the alveoli attached to small airways(R. Higginson, 2010). The residual air and loss of elastic recoil makes it harder to exhale air. If an individual is unable to perform levels of expiration then the air becomes trapped in the lungs, making the chest hyper expand and become barrel shaped. Having a barrel shaped chest, decreases the respiratory muscles to work effectively and the functional
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, also known as COPD, is defined as a progressive, chronic lung disease that makes it difficult to breathe by limiting airflow and it is characterized by chronic inflammation of the airway and shortness of breath and wheezing. BOOK/FAM PRAC “Progressive” means that the disease gets worse over time. “COPD is one of the important diseases that lead to restrictions, disability, and an increase in mortality rates among elder population” [4,5].TURK STUDY QUOTE The primary cause of death among COPD individuals is cardiovascular disease. PLOS More people (37%) die due to coronary heart disease or heart failure than those (34%) who die from COPD alone. #2 PLOS
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.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is one of the leading cause of death in the world. Because smoking is the main cause of COPD, abstinence from smoking manages it. Medical researchers have conducted novel research to observe the effectiveness of smoking cessation on COPD patients, while some have summarized and analyzed previous research to recommend involvement of nurses in intervention programs. The main aim of research in this field is to measure the severity of the disease and analyze the possible effective ways of reducing the harsh effects of smoking in COPD patients. Research in this field also draws scholarships from broad topics like use of ATS guidelines to measure the severity of restrictive lung disease. The research
Over the years Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) has been a vastly under-identified and under-treated, causing the World Health Organization (WHO) to undertake increased worldwide awareness concerning the disease. Thus the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) was created in order to educate the world and set standardized practices.1,2 COPD is defined by the chronic obstruction of the airway relating to inflammatory diseases of the bronchial tubes. The restrictive airflow, while preventable and treatable, is often fast progressing and not completely reversible1. COPD includes diseases such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and small airway disease as all these conditions include a chronic narrowing of
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disorder (COPD) is a very prevalent disease in the world today with the most common cause being related to tobacco smoke. Not only is it associated with lung disease, but it has also been seen to be linked with many other comorbidities. However, the most concerning effect that COPD has on the body is towards the muscular dysfunction of skeletal muscle. Reasons, that are independent of lung function, that make this so concerning includes; an overall decrease in functional capacity, a poor quality of life, an increase in health care utilization, or even mortality. COPD has been linked to vitamin D deficiency. However, the effects of Vitamin D deficiency, pertaining to COPD, on skeletal muscle has
Compliance is an indicator of the lungs health and function. In the case of patients with COPD, a high lungs compliance is seen. This mean that the lungs are too elastic and have a lower level of elasticity. It also indicates that there is a loss of pressure difference in the pleura pressure that is needed in order to change the volume of the lungs. Patients have difficulty with exhaling breaths. According to Porth, resistance is the pressure differences between the lungs and the atmospheres, which is related to the resistance that air encounters as it moves to the conducting airways passage during respiration (Porth, 2015). COPD is a disease that starts in the small airway which is the major site for resistance. In the case of patients with COPD, there is an increase in airway resistance and a decrease in maximal expiratory. Therefore, patients who suffer from COPD have a hard time breathing. Resistance also affects lungs residual volume. Residual volume is defined as the air that stays in the lungs at the time of maximal expiration. People who suffer chronic conditions such as COPD have a less difficulty breathing during inspiration than during expiration.