...Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD; Emphysema) Pathophysiology Abakyereba Kwansemah June 4, 2014 Abstract D.Z.is a 65-year-old man admitted to medical ward with an exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; emphysema). Past medical history (PMH) indicates hypertension (HTN), well managed with enalapril (Vasotec) past six years, diagnosis (Dx) of pneumonia yearly for the past three years. D.Z. appears cachectic with difficulty breathing at rest. Patient reports productive cough with thick yellow-green sputum. He seems anxious and irritable during subjective data collection. He states, he has been a 2-pack-a-day smoker for 38 years. He complains of (c/o) insomnia and tiredness. His vital signs (VS) are 162/84, 124, 36, 102° F, SaO2 88%. Admitting diagnosis is chronic emphysema with acute exacerbation. Admitting orders includes: diet as tolerated; out of bed with assistance; oxygen (O2) to maintain SaO2 of 90%; maintenance IV of D5W at 50 ml/hr.; intake and output (I&O); arterial blood gases (ABGs) in AM; CBC with differential, basic metabolic panel (BMP), and theophylline (Theo-Dur) level on admission; chest x-ray (CXR) q24h; prednisone 60 mg/day PO; doxycycline 100 mg PO q12h x10 days, azithromycin 500 mg IV piggyback (IVPB) q24h x2 days then 500 mg PO x 7 days; theophylline 300 mg PO bid; heparin 5000 units SC q12h; albuterol 2.5 mg (0.5 ml) in 3 ml normal saline (NS) and ipratropium 500 mg by nebulizer q4-6h;...
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...Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease also referred to as COPD is the name that identifies a group of lung diseases. These diseases consist of bronchiectasis, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and refractory asthma. An individual can have COPD for years and not know it. When the disease is in the early stages the symptoms are not completely mature and are barely discernible. As the disease matures and progresses the symptoms become more noticeable. Although millions of individuals are living with COPD, this disease is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States; and smoking, second-hand smoke, air pollutants, occupational dust, chemicals, and genetics are factors that can cause the disease for which there is no cure; however numerous treatments are available to help live an active and healthy life (COPD Foundation, 2010). Many people who have COPD are undiagnosed with the disease. Undiagnosis could derive from several reasons, which may include no health insurance, afraid to seek medical attention, or belief that the symptoms are of another illness such as a cold that will not go away. However, most cases of COPD are undiagnosed because of a lack of education concerning the disease. Many communities and employers fail to educate the public concerning diseases like COPD.I was surprised to find that the Dobbins...
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...Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Health and Physical Education Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease There are many kinds of chronic illness and each with it on characteristics, symptoms, causes, some chronic illness affect people of any age or ethnic background, and others are more likely to appear in a particular age or ethnic group. Some are present at birth while others develop later in life. Some chronic illnesses are caused by environmental factors such as exposure to pollutants. The definition of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is one of the most common lung diseases which makes it difficult to breathe and causes damage to the lungs over many years, usually from smoking that leads to a combination of two diseases, Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema. Chronic Bronchitis are airways which carry to the lings become inflamed and make a lot of mucus, and a long term cough with mucus. Emphysema involves destruction of the lungs over time, and the air sac are damaged and loses their stretch and less air gets in and out of the lungs. The lifestyles factors that leads to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is smoking, air pollution, genetics, age, occupational dust and chemicals. Smoking, COPD, and the immune system. “Although the immune system is designed to protect the body from harm, it may actually worsen the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease” according to University of Cincinnati...
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...COPD COPD is a term used for Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This is an “obstructive disease”, meaning that airflow coming out of the lungs during exhalation is blocked. The blockage of airflow with COPD ,makes it very difficult for a person to breathe. Over time, COPD get progressively worse because doctors have not yet found a cure. COPD affects more Than 5% of the adult population, and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and worldwide. 4 With COPD, a person will usually have two main medical conditions that limit airflow. These conditions are known as emphysema and chronic obstructive bronchitis. Emphysema causes the elasticity of the lung tissue to be lost. The alveolar walls between air sacs in the lung are damaged, and this causes them to lose their shape and become flimsy. Over time, this damage destroys the walls, leading to fewer, larger air sacs, rather than many, smaller air sacs like that of a normal lung. When this happens, the amount of surface available for gas exchange inside the lung is drastically reduced. With chronic bronchitis, the lining of the airways is constantly irritated and inflamed. This condition causes the lining to thicken, and leads to a lot of thick mucus production forming in the airways, making it harder to breathe. With destruction of the lung parenchymal, and narrowing of the small airways, air becomes trapped due to the inability of the airways to remain open during expiration...
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...hundreds of fragile alveoli. How much more if you can consume 20 sticks of cigarette a day? Do you think you will still have functional lungs after five years of smoking? On the other hand, we all know that smoking is the major cause of most lung disorders. But do you that even if you`re a non-smoker you are still at risk for having lung problem? Yes, of course! You are at risk only if you are exposed to plenty of lung irritants such as passive smoke, factory smoke and other pollutants. Every one of us must be appreciative and be grateful to enjoy the privilege of having normal breathing pattern. It is difficult for a person who has a lung disease and it`s not an easy thing to live with. To have a healthy lungs are very important to life and function. If somebody has Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD, the breathing doesn’t always come easily. This was the reason of our patient to seek medical assistance because of experiencing shortness of breath (dyspnea) accompanied with hard cough. Thus, she with...
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...Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an umbrella term for people with chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or both. With COPD the airflow to the lungs is restricted (obstructed). COPD is usually caused by smoking. Symptoms include cough and breathlessness. The most important treatment is to stop smoking. Inhalers are commonly used to ease symptoms. Other treatments such as steroids, antibiotics, oxygen, and mucus-thinning (mucolytic) medicines are sometimes prescribed in more severe cases, or during a flare-up (exacerbation) of symptoms Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a general term which includes the conditions chronic bronchitis and emphysema. COPD is the preferred term. • Chronic means persistent. • Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (the airways of the lungs). • Emphysema is damage to the smaller airways and air sacs (alveoli) of the lungs. • Pulmonary means 'affecting the lungs'. Chronic bronchitis or emphysema can cause obstruction (narrowing) of the airways. Chronic bronchitis and emphysema commonly occur together. The term COPD is used to describe airflow obstruction due to chronic bronchitis. Furthermore COPD is an ongoing and a terminal disease that can have effect on patient daily living (Blackler et al. 2007). In this project, the topic chosen is Developing Self management plans to help people with COPD to control their condition. The key intervention innovating on is the development of COPD care checklist. This is due to how...
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...Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease also referred to as COPD is the name that identifies a group of lung diseases. These diseases consist of bronchiectasis, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and refractory asthma. An individual can have COPD for years and not know it. When the disease is in the early stages the symptoms are not completely mature and are barely discernible. As the disease matures and progresses the symptoms become more noticeable. Although millions of individuals are living with COPD, this disease is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States; and smoking, second-hand smoke, air pollutants, occupational dust, chemicals, and genetics are factors that can cause the disease for which there is no cure; however numerous treatments are available to help live an active and healthy life (COPD Foundation, 2010). Many people who have COPD are undiagnosed with the disease. Undiagnosis could derive from several reasons, which may include no health insurance, afraid to seek medical attention, or belief that the symptoms are of another illness such as a cold that will not go away. However, most cases of COPD are undiagnosed because of a lack of education concerning the disease. Many communities and employers fail to educate the public concerning diseases like COPD.I was surprised to find that the Dobbins...
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...Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Information on what is COPD COPD stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. COPD is a progressive disease that makes it hard to breathe. It is a common and serious chronic lung disease (2014, April 26). Over time, it gets worse due to the lack of air going into the lungs (2014, April 26). It makes it hard to breath. Smokers have a high risk of getting COPD. Other factors that lead to lung irritation are air pollution, chemicals fumes, smoke, or dust (2014, April 26). COPD has two main forms. COPD can generate from chronic bronchitis. It is a long term caught with mucous (2014, April 26). The second form is emphysema, which involves damage to the lungs over time (2014, April 26). COPD Symptoms: Symptoms typically worsen within time. Daily cough and sputum is one of the main symptoms. Other symptoms are shortness of breath, especially during physical activity. Wheezing, chest tightness, lack of energy, weight loss, frequent repertory infections, blueness of the lips or...
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...Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is an irreversible debilitating disease of the airway that is currently the fourth leading cause of death in the United States and is rising. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is treatable but currently there is no known cure and it is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. COPD causes reduction in airflow during the ventilation cycle due to the loss of air way elasticity, narrowing of the airways, chronic airways inflammation and over active mucous production (Frace, 2008). Known risk factors for development of COPD include tobacco use (including second hand smoke), air pollution, dust and exposure to chemicals used in the production of coal, cotton and grain. There are many complications of COPD, the most common are pneumonia, pneumothorax, cor pulmonale, atelectasis, and in severe cases there maybe respiratory insufficiency and failure (Bare, Cheever, Hinkle, & Smeltzer, 2010). Nursing management for a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease begins with assessment; gathering information from the patient including detailed medical history, present symptoms and evaluate findings of diagnostic tests. Symptoms vary with each patient, but may include chronic cough, clubbing of the fingers, chest tightness, weight loss, cyanosis, difficulty breathing with a higher rate of respirations and difficulty sleeping (Weber...
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...COPD: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Angelia Alleyne HCS/245 May 4, 2015 Professor Lori Olson COPD: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a long-term disease that causes breathing problems. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death worldwide. COPD, however, is a heterogeneous collection of diseases with differing causes, pathogenic mechanisms, and physiological effects. Therefore a comprehensive approach to COPD prevention will need to address the complexity of COPD. Advances in the understanding of the natural history of COPD and the development of strategies to assess COPD in its early stages make prevention a reasonable, if ambitious, goal. Prevention can be classified as primary, secondary, or tertiary (Rennard, Drummond, 2015). The term COPD is used to describe certain diseases that partially block airflow in the lungs. The most common kinds of COPD include: Emphysema and Chronic bronchitis and other diseases. Emphysema can cause damage to the alveoli that cannot be cured; this is the tiny air sacs of the lungs where oxygen is put into your blood. With emphysema your lungs become less able to take in good air and get rid of carbon dioxide. Chronic bronchitis occurs when the airways in the lungs become swollen; this causes more mucus than normal to be made in the lungs. The swelling and increased mucus can cause the airflow to become partially blocked. Chronic...
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...Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) The medical diagnosis I chose to write about from my patient I had at clinical’s is COPD. COPD stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and is made up of emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Approximately 12.7 million people in the United States have COPD and 24 million have impaired lung function with probable underlying COPD. (P. 303) Smoking has a big role in the cause of emphysema and chronic bronchitis along with some air pollution, dusts, and gases. Emphysema is the destruction of alveolar and alveolar-capillary walls, as well as narrowed and tortuous small airways. (P. 303) Shortness of breath is by far the most common of emphysema symptoms. Most people with emphysema first notice something's wrong when they become winded during a previously routine activity. Chronic bronchitis is the excess secretion of thick, tenacious mucus that decreases ciliary function and interferes with airflow and causes inflammatory damage to the bronchial mucosa. (P. 303) To be diagnosed with COPD,...
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...Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a progressive lung disease that makes it hard for someone to breath by limiting the airflow of oxygen in and out of the lungs. COPD is a deteriorating disease that worsens as time goes on that affects over 12 million people in the United States (U.S.). It is characterized by inflammation and severe limitation of airflow in and out of the lungs. COPD is an umbrella term used to describe a group of breathing conditions. Most people age 40 and older with a history of smoking (either current or former smokers) are more likely to suffer from COPD, although in some cases one out of six people with COPD have never smoked. (GICOPD 2001) The most common types of COPD are Chronic Bronchitis, Asthma, and Emphysema. Many people diagnosed with COPD may have two types Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema while a few may only have Asthma. COPD is the third most common cause of death in the United States. Of the major causes of death in the U.S., it is the only to have risen in numbers since the year of 2007 while the leading causes (Heart Disease and Cancer) numbers have slightly gone down. COPD is also the second leading cause of disability in the U.S. In 2010, the cost to the nation for COPD was projected to be approximately $49.9 billion, including $29.5 billion in direct health care expenditures, $8.0 billion in indirect morbidity costs and $12.4 billion in indirect mortality costs. ((COPD) Fact Sheet 2014) In a set of normal functioning lungs...
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...are primary, secondary and tertiary. All three levels are applied to every type of disease. The goal in health promotion is to better educate patients and families in their health so as to alleviate the financial burdens of the public related to disease and the effects of long term conditions that can result from the mismanagement of some conditions. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD is one of these conditions that if not managed correctly can lead to financial burden. COPD is a blanket term used for people that are diagnosed with multiple lung dysfunctions such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema. “Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is now the third leading cause of death in Western countries” (Cope, 2014, p. 372). According to the center for disease control (CDC) in 2011 the highest COPD prevalence was in the areas of the Ohio and lower Mississippi rivers. (Data for COPD, n.d).These states include Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama to just name a few. Kentucky and Alabama rank the highest in prevalence most likely due to the farming of tobacco. To help decrease the cost of COPD and the effects of it health promotion has to be provided. So what is the nurse’s role within the health promotion levels? The nurse’s role in the primary level of health promotion regarding COPD is to provide patients early with the health education on how to prevent COPD. Smoking cessation, reducing amounts of environmental hazards, flu vaccinations, nutritional...
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...Chronic Bronchitis HCS/245 02/01/15 Cheryl Meaux Chronic Bronchitis Chronic bronchitis is an inflammation, or irritation, of the airways in the lungs. Airways are the tubes in your lungs that air passes through. They are also called bronchial tubes. When the airways are irritated, thick mucus forms in them. The mucus plugs up the airways and makes it hard for you to get air into your lungs. Symptoms of chronic bronchitis include a cough that produces mucus or sputum, trouble breathing and the feeling of tightness in your chest (FamilyDoctor.org, 2014). This form of bronchitis is considered chronic because it can last for a long time. Cigarette smoking is most likely the reason for you getting chronic bronchitis also if you have been exposed for a long time to other things that irritate their lungs, such as chemical fumes, dust and other substances, can also develop chronic bronchitis (FamilyDoctor.org, 2014). If chronic bronchitis does not get the treatment needed it can turn into emphysema and the two diseases form together to be called Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD. It is common that the signs of Chronic Bronchitis can be ignored and most likely recognized when it worsens. The longer you wait to get treatment, the worse your lungs are get. After doing research, I found that Chronic Bronchitis alone is neither primary, secondary, nor tertiary but is actually described in each form. Primary prevention is accomplished by elimination of exposures that...
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...extra credit, which is not required, will be worth a total of 10 points. Both are due at the beginning of class on Tuesday, March 10, 2015. Case 1 R.S. has smoked for many years and has developed chronic bronchitis, a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). He also has a history of coronary artery disease and peripheral arterial vascular disease. His arterial blood gas (ABG) values are pH = 7.32, PaCO2 = 60 mm Hg, PaO2 = 50 mm Hg, HCO3- = 30 mEq/L. His hematocrit is 52% with normal red cell indices. He is using an inhaled ß2 agonist and theophylline to manage his respiratory disease. At this clinic visit, it is noted on a chest x-ray that R.S. has an area of consolidation in his right lower lobe that is thought to be consistent with pneumonia. Discussion Questions 1. What clinical findings are likely in R.S. as a consequence of his COPD? How would these differ from those of emphysematous COPD? Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is comprised primarily of two related diseases: Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema. These are characterized by unexplained chronic productive cough for at least three months in each of two successive years. If fixed airway obstruction is present in a patient with Chronic Bronchitis, this gives patients the diagnosis of COPD. These patients experience prominent cough and sputum production with frequently developing hypoxia and hypercarbia at rest and...
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