Case Scenario Week 3
Questions
1. What causes hepatic encephalopathy (HE)? Some causes of HE are: increased ammonia levels that are caused by a gastrointestinal (GI) bleed, increased ammonia from bacteria in stool that is caused by constipation, hypokalemia, hypovolemia which is caused by decreased blood flow, which causes a decrease in renal function and impairment of the cerebral. HE is also caused by infection, pain medications, depressants which can cause toxicity of the liver, dehydration, and uremia (Lewis, Heitkemper, Dirksen, & Bucher, 2014). Increased ammonia levels can also trigger HE (Sheasgreen, Lu, & Patel, 2014). What are the pathological processes that occur during hepatic encephalopathy? The pathological process that occurs …show more content…
What events attributed to the development of hepatic encephalopathy in this patient? The events in this patient's life that possibly caused the HE are: the patient drank from 16 years of age to 55 years of age, the alcohol consumption increased as he aged, and as we all know, it is harder for the body to metabolize the older an individual gets. Metabolism slows down as we age (Lewis et al., 2014) Why is the ammonia level high? According to the wife, the patient missed a few doses of Lactulose over a weeks time frame, which is the first drug of choice that is not absorbed in the GI tract, so that it can absorb the ammonia and reduce the amount that enters into the circulatory system (Sheasgreen et al., 2014). In a liver diseased patient, the main problem is the ammonia levels get too high due to the liver not being able to break down the ammonia and confusion, lethargy, and aggressiveness can occur (Lewis et al., 2014). Since the patient missed a few doses, it is difficult to remove the excess ammonia from the body (Guyton & Hall, …show more content…
What makes this disease important to study? HE is an important disease to understand and study, because a patient with liver disease can have issues with other parts of the body systems. As a nurse or health care professional taking care of a liver patient, we have to be able to understand the pathophysiology of liver disease and what it entails, when it comes to understanding the importance of monitoring weight, proper nutritional education, proper skin care, making sure there is family support, risks of increase fluids, abdominal girth size, and finally complications and increase the results of mortality in patients (Lewis et al., 2014). If an individual has too much fluid, there is a risk of hypertension, decrease in urine output, which can lead to renal failure and increase the fluids around the heart or lungs. When there is too much fluid, there is also a risk of electrolyte imbalance, which can cause problems resulting in SIRS and possibly death (Guyton & Hall,
Questions
1. What causes hepatic encephalopathy (HE)? Some causes of HE are: increased ammonia levels that are caused by a gastrointestinal (GI) bleed, increased ammonia from bacteria in stool that is caused by constipation, hypokalemia, hypovolemia which is caused by decreased blood flow, which causes a decrease in renal function and impairment of the cerebral. HE is also caused by infection, pain medications, depressants which can cause toxicity of the liver, dehydration, and uremia (Lewis, Heitkemper, Dirksen, & Bucher, 2014). Increased ammonia levels can also trigger HE (Sheasgreen, Lu, & Patel, 2014). What are the pathological processes that occur during hepatic encephalopathy? The pathological process that occurs …show more content…
What events attributed to the development of hepatic encephalopathy in this patient? The events in this patient's life that possibly caused the HE are: the patient drank from 16 years of age to 55 years of age, the alcohol consumption increased as he aged, and as we all know, it is harder for the body to metabolize the older an individual gets. Metabolism slows down as we age (Lewis et al., 2014) Why is the ammonia level high? According to the wife, the patient missed a few doses of Lactulose over a weeks time frame, which is the first drug of choice that is not absorbed in the GI tract, so that it can absorb the ammonia and reduce the amount that enters into the circulatory system (Sheasgreen et al., 2014). In a liver diseased patient, the main problem is the ammonia levels get too high due to the liver not being able to break down the ammonia and confusion, lethargy, and aggressiveness can occur (Lewis et al., 2014). Since the patient missed a few doses, it is difficult to remove the excess ammonia from the body (Guyton & Hall, …show more content…
What makes this disease important to study? HE is an important disease to understand and study, because a patient with liver disease can have issues with other parts of the body systems. As a nurse or health care professional taking care of a liver patient, we have to be able to understand the pathophysiology of liver disease and what it entails, when it comes to understanding the importance of monitoring weight, proper nutritional education, proper skin care, making sure there is family support, risks of increase fluids, abdominal girth size, and finally complications and increase the results of mortality in patients (Lewis et al., 2014). If an individual has too much fluid, there is a risk of hypertension, decrease in urine output, which can lead to renal failure and increase the fluids around the heart or lungs. When there is too much fluid, there is also a risk of electrolyte imbalance, which can cause problems resulting in SIRS and possibly death (Guyton & Hall,