Pancreatitis
Brandon C. Hyatt
Salem State University
The first part of this paper will be an overview of the pathophysiology of pancreatitis, which is an inflammation of the pancreas, and the second part will elaborate on my clinical experience with a patient I was taking care that suffered from pancreatitis.
The pancreas is the organ within the human body that is located underneath the stomach and is responsible for insulin production and other certain digestive enzymes. Inflammation in the pancreas is caused by the infiltration of pancreatic enzymes into the tissues of the pancreas, which in turn cause irritation and edema to the surrounding tissues (Lewis et al., 2007). There are two types of pancreatitis, acute and chronic, of
…show more content…
A nasogastric tube may also be necessary in order to decompress the stomach. Clear liquids may be initiated first then gradually as the patient gets better begin to introduce soft to solid foods. Some expected nursing diagnoses for a patient with pancreatitis would be knowledge deficit, pain, and imbalanced nutrition: less than body requirements.
On Wednesday, September 15, 2010 I had the pleasure to assist in taking care of a patient I will refer to as M.B. y patient, M.B. is a widowed, white, female of 72 years old, 5’ 7” tall, and weighs 165.66 lbs. M.B. was admitted via ER on September 10, 2010 for abdominal pain and a poor nutritional intake. M.B.’s admitting diagnosis was abdominal pain, acute pancreatitis, hypokalemia, and diabetes.
Patient is retired and lives with daughter in an in-law apartment. Prior to hip surgery she could perform most ADL’s on her own. Now she has become quiet dependent on most day-to-day activities.
M.B.’s past medical history consists of: hypertension, breast cancer, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, malignant hyperthermia, atrial fibrillation, glaucoma, hypothyroidism, chronic cervical pain, hypercholesterolemia, coronary artery disease, and Chron’s disease. Allergies are heparin, sulfa, flagyl, an IV die. Only known surgeries are hysterectomy and recent left hip replacement on August 8, 2010. Medications | Trade Name/Generic Name |
Acute Pancreatitis: Acute inflammation of the pancreas.The most common pathogenic mechanism is autodigestion of the pancreas. The etiological factor injures pancreatic cells or activates the pancreatic enzymes in the pancreas rather than in the intestine which may be due to reflux of bile acids into the pancreatic duct through an open or distended sphincter of Oddi. The result may also be caused by blockage created by a gallstone. Obstruction of pancreatic ducts results in pancreatic ischemia.The pathophysiology involvement of acute pancreatitis is
The general health of the patient is currently being compromised due to present illness mentioned above, but is stable. L.H. reports his usual health to be, “normal and not too crazy like this”. Patient has some fatigue noted while conducting daily activities; No recent weight change, fever or sweat. The skin noted to some discoloration on upper right side of back. There is no pruritus, rash or lesions present. Bruises noted bilateral on arms. Patient reported taking baby aspirin as daily medication. His hair is greying and thinning with no hair loss.
Melissa Johnson is a 45-year-old woman who today was seen on an emergency basis when she called the office complaining of left upper quadrant pain. The patient stated that the pain has been increasing for about three months. The patient’s most notable symptom is increased belching. The patient also experiences heart burn, increased satiety, and intermittent left upper quadrant pain. The patient denies any vomiting, change in bowel habits, melena, or dysphagia. She also denies having chills, fever or rigors. The patient states that she has not been examining her sugars, and she has not felt any chest pain with exertion or dyspnea. In addition, the patient denies any orthopnea, pedal edema, or paroxysmal nocturnal
The pain is constant and becomes more severe as the days go on. There are many possible indications as to what causes pancreatitis. Some of these causes include alcoholism, cystic fibrosis, gallstones, trauma, and family history of pancreatitis. When a patient has repeated flare-ups of pancreatitis, it is classified as chronic pancreatitis. As this disease progresses, it usually leads to permanent damage of the pancreas. Pancreatitis is treated in many different ways. Once the underlying cause of the disease is known, treatment may include removal of bile duct obstructions, cholecystectomy, treatment for alcoholism, or pancreas surgery to remove some of the damaged
E.P. is an 88-year-old Caucasian male. He was admitted on 02/18/13. His code status is full code, and he declines to bring in his advanced directive. He reports that he is 68.5” tall, and his actual weight is 165 pounds. He and his wife are the sources of information, and they are reliable. His blood pressure is 124/62, taken on his right arm in a lying position, his oral temperature is 99.8, his right radial pulse is 74 beats per minute, his respiration rate is 16 breaths per minute and his pulse oximetry reading is 92 on room air. He is allergic to latex, cephalexin and sulfa drugs, with a reaction of hives, and to IV dye, with a reaction of moderate rash. He was
T1D is an autoimmune disorder, that develops when the immune system attacks and destroys the pancreatic beta cells that produce insulin by mistakenly identifying them as foreign (autoimmune disorders: MedlinePlus) (Dugdale, 2013). The Pancreas gland is positioned at the posterior of the stomach in our bodies, and plays an important role in digestion and in regulating blood sugar. It makes enzymes to digest proteins, fats, and carbohydrates in the intestines and produces the hormones insulin and glucagon. A well-known effect of insulin is to decrease the concentration of glucose in blood. This lowers blood sugar levels and allows the body’s cells to use glucose for energy (Ediger et al. 2014).
Pancreatitis is the inflammation of the pancreas. It’s located in the stomach and its function is to provide the body with hormones to aid in the digestion, regulating glucose. The triggers for this health condition can be linked to heredity, lifestyle choices and injuries to the abdomen.
Pancreatitis – inflammation of the pancreas characterized by severe upper abdominal pain, vomiting, nausea, fever, and rapid pulse
staff, “Pancreatitis is inflammation in the pancreas”. (staff, 2016) The pancreas is a long, flat
In contrast, within one day of exhibiting symptoms, the mean permeability surface area product values for head, body and tail of pancreas were already considerably lower (p = 0.0001) in patients with mild acute pancreatitis when compared to those with severe acute pancreatitis.
CHIEF COMPLAINANT: Patient is a known diabetic, he has been converted over to insulin, he has been doing very well. His blood sugars are running in the low 100's, in the last month he has had one episode of blood sugar 57, otherwise, has done very well. He watches his diet, he tries to stay active. He has a known prior history of a lung resection for neoplasm, he has not been coughing up any blood. He does has some flem at times he has difficulty clearing. No chills or fever. No chest pain. No swelling in his legs, no leg sores. He sees podiatry every 3 months and he has an eye clinic scheduled for next month.
The focal point for acute pancreatitis treatment is to reduce the secretion of pancreatic enzymes, which inhibits the inflammatory process. Pancreatic/abdominal Inflammation results in nerve irritation and pain, the hallmark symptom of pancreatitis. The patient’s pain level was assess every two hours and addressed in a timely manner. After thirty minutes of administering the prescribed narcotic analgesia, the pain level was reassess to monitor the effectiveness of the medication. The patient reported a decrease or relief in pain after administration. The patient instituted non-pharmacologic pain relief through other measures, such as, sitting up in a chair during the day to promote comfort, stress reduction, and relaxation exercises. Upon palpation of patients’ abdomen, abdominal tenderness and slight distention noted. The patient stated, “The tenderness and distention in my stomach has decrease since my admission”. Since the patient was hypertensive to palpation or percussion of her abdomen during periods of pain, the pain level assessed and addressed prior to an abdominal assessment. Reducing the pancreatic secretion contributed to effective pain management and a decreased her pain level. It also contributed to decrease episodes of nausea and vomiting and improvement in serum lipase level (the diagnostic markers). Continuous gastric suctioning for first two days of admission and Nothing-by-mouth (NPO) status
Pancreatitis is a disease that involves the pancreas. The pancreas is considered a large gland which is located behind the stomach and right next to the small intestine. There are two main functions that the pancreas does; one, “It releases powerful digestive enzymes into the small intestine to aid the digestion of food, and two, It releases the hormones insulin and glucagon into the bloodstream. These hormones help the body control how it uses food for energy” (Digestive Disorders Health Center, 2005-2015). With pancreatitis disease, it means that the pancreas is becoming inflamed. When this happens the digestive enzymes become active which releases it into the small intestine and starts attacking the pancreas.
The pancreas is an organ that makes enzymes used for digestion, and alcohol is the second highest cause for pancreatitis (inflamation of pancreas). Signs of pancreatitis begin as a pain just below your ribs and may last for several days. When it becomes severe and persistent, acute pancreatitis could lead to organ failure and death.
Acute pancreatitis is a rapid inflammatory process when the tissue of pancreas “digests” itself due to enzymatic activity. The main reason for that is alcohol abuse and gallstones (Pfrimmer, 2008). Upon physical assessment of this patient, my findings were severe