Essay on Treatment of a Thick Mucus Found in the Lung

Lungs – Mucus plugging, chronic bacterial infections, pronounced inflammatory response, damaged airways leading to respiratory insufficiency, progressive decline in pulmonary function.

Another important intervention was to maintain the head of the bed at 30-45 degrees and position L.M.’s left lung into a dependent position to improve ventilation and perfusion. L.M.’s O2 was decreased to 63 and her CO2 was increased to 50. According to the IHI, it is recommended to elevate the bed to 30- 45 degrees to improve ventilation. Patients that lay in the supine position have lower spontaneous tidal volumes on pressure support ventilation compared to those laying at more of an angle (Institute for Healthcare Improvement, 2012). In regards to positioning, when the least damaged portion of the lung is placed in a dependent position it receives preferential blood flow. This redistribution of blood flow helps match ventilation and perfusion, therefore, improving gas exchange (Lough, Stacy & Urden, 2010). Implementing these interventions combined with respiratory therapy, significantly improved the blood gas values for oxygen and carbon dioxide levels.

Air escaped from the lung into the pleural space. Eventually, enough air collected in the pleural space to cause the mediastinum to shift twoard the right. The collapsed left lung, increased intrapleural pressure, and rightward shift make it difficult to ventilate A.W.

The main goal of any treatment for someone who has cystic fibrosis is to prevent and/or control lung infections, loosen and remove the mucus build up in the lungs, prevent and treat intestinal blockage and ensuring proper and adequate nutrition. If the treatment includes medications, antibiotics would be used to treat and/or prevent lung infections. To help get the mucus up and out of the lungs, mucus-thinning drugs will be used to improve lung function. By relaxing the muscles around the bronchial tubes, bronchodilators can help keep the airway open. Lastly are oral pancreas enzymes which help the digestive tract absorb nutrients. Non-medication treatments include chest physical therapy which helps the thick mucus loosen and in turn makes it easier to cough up. There is also something available called pulmonary rehabilitation which is something that can help improve lung function in an outpatient setting and this may include exercise training, nutritional education, breathing techniques to conserve energy and counseling and/or support groups. There are also several surgical procedures that can improve quality of life for patients with cystic fibrosis. These in removal of any nasal polys to help breathing, oxygen therapy to help prevent pulmonary hypertension or high blood pressure in the lungs, endoscopy and lavage treatments to

Chronic inflammation leads to structural changes, narrowing of the small airways, and destruction of lung tissue, which diminishes the ability of the airways to remain open during expiration

There are many treatments for cystic fibrosis. First treatment the patient can get is air way clearance. Air way clearance help loosen and get rid of the thick mucus that can build up in the lungs. The second treatment they can use is the pancreatic enzyme supplement. These treatment capsules helps improves the absorption of vital nutrients. These supplements are taken with every meal and most

There is no cure for cystic fibrosis, however treatment can ease symptoms and lessen complexities. Close monitoring and early, forceful intervention is recommended. Physicians may work with other team of specialist and restorative professionals trained in cystic fibrosis to assess and treat patient's condition.(Mayo Clinic)

Nasal polyps can develop but only need to be removed if they become irritating. The most lethal symptom is related to the lungs. With the large amounts of the thick and sticky mucus, infections cause become more common, decreases the ability to fight infections, and causes swelling and inflammation. This restricts the overall function of the lungs leading to emphysema, bronchitis, bronchiolitis, and pneumonia. With infections, mucus production increases making the disease worse and could result in death. A symptom of the excess mucus is coughing in order to remove mucus. It also plugs up the smaller passageways in the lungs, decreasing the lung’s volume. Inadequate air supply results in tiredness, shortness of breath, and intolerance of

-identify and avoid specific factors that inhibit effective airway clearance by the end of the shift.

In the respiratory system, the mucus causes breathing difficulties, frequent respiratory infections and eventually permanent lung damage. The mucus builds up providing bacteria with a place to flourish. The most common infection comes from a bacterium called Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The body's response to P. aeruginosa includes inflammation, which causes episodes of intense breathing problems (Pseudomonas Genome Project, 1998). Normally the body will get rid of excess mucus by coughing before it's a problem but with the thick mucus involved in CF the body has a harder time to get rid of the thicker mucus. Lung disease is the usual cause of death in most patients (National Institutes of Health, 1995). In the digestive system, mucus can block the supply of enzymes used to break down food. The result of the blockage of such enzymes is malnutrition. The patient will have an excessive appetite but will not experience any weight gain. What is also evident is a failure to grow, CF was often misdiagnosed vaguely as "failure to thrive" when physicians didn't know the reason for this poor growth. Sweating is also a problem in people with CF. One of the basic defects in CF is the faulty transport of sodium and chloride (salt). People with CF lose excessive amounts of salt when they sweat. This causes the natural balance of salt in the body to be off balance, which may cause abnormal heart rhythms (National Institutes of Health, 1995).

From investigation in health practices, ventilator associated pneumonia caught my attention. “Ventilator Associated Pneumonia (VAP) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in intensive care units. Most episodes of VAP are thought to develop from the aspiration of oropharyngeal secretions containing potentially pathogenic organisms. Aspiration of gastric secretions may also contribute, though likely a lesser degree. Tracheal intubation interrupts the body’s anatomic and physiologic defenses against aspiration, making mechanical ventilation a major risk for Ventilator Associated Pneumonia. Semi-recumbent positioning of mechanically ventilated patients may help reduce the incidence of gastroesophageal reflux and lead to a decreased incidence of VAP. The one randomized trial to date of semi- recumbent positioning shows it to be an effective method of reducing VAP. Immobility in critically ill patients leads to atelectasis and decreased clearance of bronchopulmonary secretions. The accumulation of contaminated oropharyngeal secretions above the endotracheal tube cuff may contribute to the risk of aspiration. Removing these

The results for simulated airway restriction are shown at figure and table 3. Airway restriction prevents air from diffusing into pulmonary arteries as a kind of blockage in the lungs. Based on the data, peak inspiratory flow, peak expiratory flow, forced vital capacity, forced expired volume in one second, and the ratio FEV1/FVC are affected by the simulated restricted airflow. Peak respiratory flow, peak expiratory flow, and forced expired volume in one second have lower values in the restricted airway. The forced vital capacity is higher in the restricted airway simulation. The ratio FEV1/FVC which is 76% in an unrestricted airway dropped to 30% in the restricted airway simulation. This means that restricted airway is often accompanied by

Pulmonary edema is commonly caused by congestive heart failure and fluid overload (Huether & McCance, 2012). With pulmonary edema, there is an increased amount of secretions in the alveoli due to increased hydrostatic pressure in the pulmonary capillaries causing fluid to move in the lung (Tazibr, 2016). There is also an increased amount of secretions in the alveoli due to damaged cilia from smoking. These secretions accumulate and cause further airway obstruction and impair gas exchange. Smoking also deposits nicotine, tar, and oxidant particles in the alveoli (NCBI, 2010). Although the immune response assists with these toxins, prolonged smoking decreases the immune response. For example, a person coughs when he or she smokes that first cigarette. Coughing diminishes over time as a person becomes accustomed to smoking. The rate that macrophages assist with removing toxic particles decrease over time as well (NCBI, 2010) and the efficacy of macrophages decrease with pulmonary edema. The combination of pulmonary edema and chronic over inflation with emphysema greatly impairs the gas exchange at the alveolar

After reviewing a great deal of literature and current tracheal suctioning techniques, Khimani, Ali, and Awan (2015) concluded that the use evidence based guidelines promotes positive outcomes. The suggested evidence based practice techniques examined in this article were categorized in the order in which they take place. Clear descriptions of the proper

Chronic bronchitis is an inflammation of the airways in the lungs that has been persistent and produces heavy phlegm. The bronchial tube lining develops a constant irritation or inflammation (Mayo Clinic, 2014). “A person with chronic bronchitis has a mucus-producing cough most days of the month, three months of a year for two years in a row without other underlying disease to explain the cough” (American Lung Association, 2014). Chronic bronchitis is more prevalent in those who smoke, have worked in fabric