Read each scenario and write a 25- to 50-word answer for each question following the scenarios. Use at least one reference per scenario and format your sources consistent with APA guidelines.
Scenario A
Acute renal failure: Ms. Jones, a 68-year-old female, underwent open-heart surgery to replace several blocked vessels in her heart. On her first day postoperatively, it was noted that she had very little urine output.
1. What is happening to Ms. Jones’s kidneys, and why is it causing the observed symptom?
Since Ms. Jones just had open-heart surgery to replace the blocked vessels in her heart, her kidneys did not have enough blood flowing to them. This may have been a result from low blood pressure during the surgery, and they are struggling to work properly now the surgery is over (Mayo Clinic, 2012, Acute kidney failure).
2. What other symptoms and signs might occur?
Some of the other symptoms and signs that might occur to Ms. Jones after she underwent open-heart surgery are headache, gastrointestinal distress, and the odor of ammonia on her breath. More important, high levels of blood potassium can cause muscle weakness and slow the heart to the point it stops (Zelman, Tompary, Raymond, Holdaway & Mulvihill, 2010, p. 242).
3. What is causing Ms. Jones’s kidney disease?
Ms. Jones’s kidney disease is most likely because of the recent open-heart surgery she had. As a result, the low blood pressure during the surgery caused her kidneys to stop working properly because of the lack of blood flow to the organ to filter the toxins from her body (Zelman, Tompary, Raymond, Holdaway & Mulvihill, 2010, p. 242).
4. What are possible treatment options, and what is the prognosis?
Ms. Jones’s doctor can use a number of medications to treat her kidney disease, including intravenous fluids, diuretics, medication to reduce the amount of potassium in her blood, medication to restore blood calcium levels, and in the worst case, dialysis (Mayo Clinic, 2012, Acute kidney failure).
Scenario B
Chronic renal failure: Mr. Hodges, a 73-year-old man, has had congestive heart failure for the past 5 years. His doctor has told him that his heart is not functioning well, needing more and more medicine to maintain circulatory function. He has noticed that he is not urinating more than once a day.
5. Why is the condition of Mr. Hodges’s kidneys affecting the rest of his body?
The chronic renal failure he is experiencing affects his body because chronic renal failure is the result of long-term kidney disease, which resulted from the congestive heart failure. It develops slowly and by the time the disease is diagnosed the toxins have spread throughout the body and affected other areas (Zelman, Tompary, Raymond, Holdaway & Mulvihill, 2010, p. 243).
6. As his chronic renal failure worsens, what other symptoms and signs might occur in his respiratory, digestive, nervous, and urinary systems?
As his chronic renal failure worsens, urea can build up to toxic levels and results in some transformed to ammonia, which can aggravate the gastrointestinal tract and cause diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. It can affect his vision, and cause his cognitive functions to decrease, in addition, to convulsions or coma (Zelman, Tompary, Raymond, Holdaway & Mulvihill, 2010, p. 243).
7. What is causing Mr. Hodges’s kidney disease?
The kidney disease Mr. Hodges developed is caused by his prolonged congestive heart failure, which slowed the blood flow to the kidneys that led to the disease. Furthermore, medications taken for congestive heart failure can also lower blood pressure, which can restrict blood flow to the kidneys (Mayo Clinic, 2012, Acute kidney failure).
8. What are possible treatment options, and what is the prognosis?
The possible treatment options are the use diuretic medications until other measures are needed like kidney dialysis or a transplant. Also, drugs that help reduce edema and hypertension can be helpful. His prognosis is poor, but with the correct medication management, he may survive a few more years (Zelman, Tompary, Raymond, Holdaway & Mulvihill, 2010, p. 243).
References:
Mayo Clinic. (2012, July 6). Acute kidney failure. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/kidney-failure/DS00280
Zelman, M., Tompary, E., Raymond, J., Holdaway, P., & Mulvihill, M. (2010). Human diseases: A systemic approach (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. University of Phoenix.
