Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Patient, a 71-year-old, retired truck driver, presented to Prince of Wales Hospital (POWH) due to an exacerbation of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) of 2 days presenting as dyspnea on the background of 5-year history of COPD with 1 or 2 exacerbations a year, previous peripheral venous insufficiency with ulcers, previous solitary pulmonary nodule and an ex-smoker with 100 pack-year history. Initial examination presented with respiratory rate of 22 breaths/minute, oxygen saturation of…

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a disorder that maintains consistent obstruction of airways and lungs. It affects approximately 10% of the population worldwide and is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States (Farver-Vestergaard et al., 2014 and Kohler et al., 2002). According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, COPD is caused by long-term exposure to lung irritants such as cigarette smoke, chemical fumes, and air pollution. The American Lung Association…

The respiratory system is accountable for taking in oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide which is found in the body. Diseases and conditions of the respiratory system are divided into two categories: viruses or bacteria and chronic (Zimmermann, 2014). Emphysema is a type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Emphysema progressively damages the air sacs known as the alveoli, which causes shortness of breath. The alveoli in a healthy individual are clustered together. With emphysema,…

Effects of Smoking Cigarettes According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths each year in the United States. Cigarette smoking increases the risk of death from all causes in men and women. Smoking not only affects the smoker, but smoking also affects the people around the smoker. Second hand smoke can be just as deadly as smoking itself. Smokers have a greater increase of dying from cancer and diseases that could be eliminated if a person did…

can occur in the right side, left side, or both sides. This impairment can also affect the pumping efficiency of the heart. This damage can be measured by the ejection fraction of the heart. Ejection fraction also categorizes the severity of heart disease. This failure causes inadequate tissue perfusion required for metabolic needs. This inadequate tissue perfusion results in organ congestion (Nicholson, 2014). Presentation can include breathlessness, orthopnea, cough, fatigue, sleep disorders,…

According to the American Lung Association, bronchiectasis is a chronic condition where the walls of the bronchi are thickened from inflammation and infection. Bronchiectasis is divided into two categories: cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis and non - cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis. No matter the form, this disease is long term with symptoms that need to be managed over long periods of time, causing a toll on individuals struggling with this lung disease. Symptoms for bronchiectasis can include:…

communication and information technologies to connect patients and clinicians in order to maintain continuous surveillance of patients and to improve convenience and efficiency (HIMSS, 2013). RPM is used in the outpatient setting for the management of chronic illness and promotion of aging in place. Events can be monitored in real time and can raise alarms when conditions exist that could lead to worsening conditions (HIMSS, 2013). RPM tools consist of sensors, medication adherence tools, and…

1. What clinical findings are likely in R.S. as a consequence of his COPD B? There are multiple types of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), COPD “characterized by chronic and recurrent obstruction of airflow in the pulmonary airways (Porth & Matfin, 2009). The recurrent obstruction makes it difficult for a person to breath overtime this problem occurs in the lower respiratory tract. COPD compromises the flow of air in the lungs this causes less oxygen that is being circulated…

Chronic diseases of respiratory system are the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. They affect airways and lung function, one common obstructive lung disease is asthma. According to CDC.gov about 17.8 million adults and 6.8 million children are suffering from asthma [9]. According to world health organization estimates, 235 million people suffer from asthma worldwide [10]. Asthma disease doesn’t have obvious symptoms which makes it hard to diagnose, so major component of chronic…

COPD is a disease characterized by chronic airflow limitation that is not fully reversible. The airflow limitation in COPD is usually progressive and is associated with an inflammatory response of the lungs (Haggerty, 2013). The pathological changes that indicate COPD include an increase in mucus producing cells, chronic inflammation in different parts of the lung, and structural changes that result from a persistent cycle of destruction and repair. Many parts of the lungs are affected,…