Respiratory Disease Research Paper
Respiratory Disease Research Paper
Case #1
A 44-year-old man seeks treatment due to sudden onset of shaking chills, fever, and productive cough. He states he has had some nasal congestion and achiness for about 1 week but was fine before that. The fever and chills started last night. He has had a couple of coughing fits and produced some yellow-colored sputum. He has smoked 1 pack per day for 15 years. He normally does not take any medications. The patient is allergic to PCN and Keflex Respiratory Disease Research Paper.
the case you selected along with a discussion of the pertinent differential diagnoses and a leading diagnosis. Present treatment strategies and a management plan for the patient. Please state appropriate dosages for any recommended pharmacologic interventions and/or provide specific orders for nonpharmacologic treatments. Finally, discuss age specific strategies for educating patients and families on the respiratory disorder and the management plan.
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Case presentation
A patient has presented with sudden onset of shaking chills, fever and productive cough. He is a 44-year-old man and states he has had some nasal congestion and achiness for about 1 week but was fine before that. The fever and chills started last night. He has had a couple of coughing fits and produced some yellow colored sputum. He has smoked 1 pack per day for 15 years. He normally does not take any medications. The patient is allergic to PCN and Keflex Respiratory Disease Research Paper.
Diagnosis
The symptoms reported by the client revealed that he could be suffering from either bacterial pneumonia or acute bronchitis. Acute bronchitis would typically develop as an upper respiratory viral infection (a cold in the present case), that spreads to infect the airways. This results in productive cough accompanied by yellow phlegm. Additionally, he feels some achiness and congestion. These symptoms have been present for close to a week to indicate that he could acute bronchitis. The fact that the patient smokes also points to bronchitis since the smoke could irritate the lungs and cause the reported symptoms to develop. Other than the acute bronchitis diagnosis, the patient could alternatively be suffering from bacterial pneumonia. The condition presents fever and chills as symptoms to be accompanied by achiness and productive cough with yellow phlegm (Physicians Now Urgent Care, 2017). To determine the specific condition that the patient is suffering from (between acute bronchitis and bacterial pneumonia), laboratory tests (such as sputum test, pulse oximetry, chest X-ray, blood tests, pleural fluid culture and CT scan) are necessary (Marieb & Hoehn, 2012).
Treatment strategies and management plan
Should the patient be diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia, three types of medication will be prescribed. The first type of medication is pain relievers and fever reducers to address the discomfort and fever. The second type is cough medication to calm the cough by loosening and moving the fluid from the lungs. The third type is antibiotics that will be dependent on the specific bacteria that caused pneumonia. On the other hand, should the patient be suffering from acute bronchitis then treatment would begin with rest and fluids intake. Additionally, a cough medication could be prescribed along with pain reliever and bronchodilators. Besides that, the patient would be advised to sleep near a humidifier or spend time in an enclosed steamy room. Besides the medication, the patient would be advised to visit the physician should the symptoms worsen since this is an indication that the current medication is not working or there are other comorbidities that have contributed to the current situation (Gielen et al., 2015) Respiratory Disease Research Paper.
Age specific strategies for educating the patients and family members
Education for this patient would focus on explaining the underlying condition, its causes, prevention and management for recovery. Firstly, the patient would be informed that he is suffering from a respiratory condition (either acute bronchitis or bacterial pneumonia depending on the diagnosis) that has exhibited as the expressed symptoms. Secondly, he should be informed that smoking contributed to the condition since cigarette smoke is a lung irritant that could have caused the coughing and sputum production. This would require that the patient quit smoking. Thirdly, he should be informed that at 44 years of age, he is approaching the threshold for age-related health declines that include a weakening immune system. Fourthly, he should be provided with community support resources (such as discussion forums for persons with respiratory problems) to facilitate his recovery. Finally, he should be informed on the need for a humidifier and steam treatments to ease the irritation on the respiratory system. The family should also be provided with the same information along with strategies for supporting the patient during the treatment period and how to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle. For instance, any family member who is smoking would be encouraged not to do so in the vicinity of the patient so as to offer an enabling environment that supports treatment (Copstead-Kirkhorn & Banasik, 2014).
References
Copstead-Kirkhorn, L. & Banasik, J. (2014). Pathophysiology (5th ed.). Amsterdam: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Gielen, S., Backer, G., Piepoli, M. & Wood, D. (2015). The esc textbook of preventive cardiology: clinical practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Physicians Now Urgent Care (2017). How to recognize symptoms of bronchitis or pneumonia. Retrieved from https://myphysiciansnow.com/symptoms-of-bronchitis-or-pneumonia/ Respiratory Disease Research Paper.
