Case study assignment

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Case Study Analysis Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is usually progressive disease with airflow limitation that is not fully reversible and defective inflammatory response in t... he lungs associated with an abnormal respiratory response of the lungs to noxious particles or gases. The exaggerated immunity response can result to chronic bronchitis with mucus hypersecretion, emphysema characterized by tissue destruction and defective mechanism that cause inflammation of small airway and also can cause Fibrosis (bronchitis). The lungs are complex organ comprising numerous cell that are continually exposed to infectious agents, cigarette smoke, and pollutants. The disruption of the homeostasis in response to constant levels of harmful inhalants leads to reversible functional alterations in the lungs.(McCance & Huethrt, 2019). Cardiovascular Cardiopulmonary Processes interact to affect the patient. The pathological changes cause increased airflow resistance within the small airways, air trapping, amplified compliance of lungs, in addition to progressive air flow obstruction. The increased thickness of the intima in the arterial vasculature in COPD has shown to be caused by smooth muscle proliferation with increased disposition of both elastin and collagen. The loss of the structural support that keeps the airway open allows the bronchioles to collapse during expiration resulting in nonfunctioning of the alveolar unit reduce the amount of lungs area available for gas exchange. (Berg & Wright 2016). These pathogenic mechanism level to the pathological changes that lead to physiological abnormalities present in COPD such as in gas exchange, airflow obstruction, pulmonary hypertension, mucus hypersecretion, and ciliary dysfunction. (McCance, & Huether, 2019). In the scenario, patient presented these physiological abnormalities as symptoms such as shortness of breath, cough with thick greenish sputum, increased AP diameter, flattened diaphragm, shown in the CXR, fevers among other symptoms and physical abnormalities. With this patient’s history of COPD, patient is clearly having an exacerbation of emphysema caused by a viral or bacterial infection resulting to fevers. There are no cardiovascular issues at this time since the patient is not having cardiovascular symptoms. ..........................................................CONTINUED............................................... [Show More]

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