Management of patients with chest and lower respiratory infection

Management of patients with chest and lower respiratory infection

Case study 1

What nursing assignment findings support the diagnosis of pneumonia?

Assessment discoveries that endorse the prognosis of pneumonia involve fever, excessive sweating, complaints of exhaustion and difficulty breathing, and incapability to finish a brief paragraph before actually having a rise in respiratory rate above the normal. Patients with infections experience altered mental state alterations.

What diagnostic findings support the diagnosis of pneumonia?

The following are the pneumonia diagnoses: CBC, ABG, and a chest x-ray are all tests that can help with the identification of pneumonia.

What nursing diagnoses should the nurse formulate for the patient?

• Inadequate airway clearance caused by feeble, inefficient coughing to generate phlegm and the existence of reduced to zero breathing noises in the right bottom lobe.

• Ineffectual breathing trend caused by pneumonia and COPD, exhibited by breathlessness, use of accessory muscles, and grievance of breathlessness. 

• Action discomfort due to reduced respiration performance, as shown by the incapacity to finish a short phrase before the respiratory condition deteriorates.

• Danger of nutritional imbalance due to lesser system demands due to respiration effort, lowering the ability to consume.

• Pulmonary insufficiency is a possible risk.

• A possible complication is shock.

What goals should the nurse develop for the patient?

The patients will show increased breathing and oxygenation of organs by ABGs within a tolerable limit, as well as the lack of pulmonary discomfort signs. While conscious, the client will utilize a spirometer regularly to enhance lung capacity.

 • Enhanced gaseous exchange

• Relaxation to preserve energy

• Nutritional stability

• Maintaining proper fluid equilibrium

• Absence of contraindications.

What overall interventions should the nurse provide?

• Consult a nutritionist for dietary assistance suited to the patient’s specific requirements.

• Continuously check nutritional condition, paying attention to calorie consumption and quality.

• Educate patients and families on strategies to reduce their risk of pneumonia, such as appropriate handwashing, appropriate diet, yearly flu vaccination, pneumococcal vaccination, and limiting people with higher respiratory illnesses or gatherings during the colder seasons.

Case study 2

What could possibly be going on with the patient, and what measures should the nurse provide immediately?

She probably has a blood clot. The caregiver may maintain the client in a semi-fowlers posture and provide oxygenation at a rate of 2-3 liters per minute through a nasal cannula. To assist the individual in resting, give drinks and prescribe pain medication as well as antidepressant drugs. Then, advise the physician about the patient’s health conditions.

What risk factors does the patient have for a pulmonary embolus?

• Postoperative condition

• Inability to move

• Her age of over 50 years

• Overweight

What measures are appropriate to manage a pulmonary embolism?

• Conduct regular evaluations

• Anticoagulation medication as recommended

 • Thrombolytic medication as recommended

• Give analgesics as directed.

• Reposition the sufferer regularly.

• Place the sufferer in a semi-fowler’s posture for easier respiration.

• Constant oxygen supplementation

• Practice deeper respiration and incentive spirometry on a regular basis.

• Continually evaluate the electrocardiogram (ECG) for dysrhythmias and right ventricular dysfunction.

• When the sufferer is hypotensive, an indwelling urine catheter is used to check outflow.

What measures are appropriate to help the patient in this case study prevent the reoccurrence of a pulmonary embolism?

• If the patient is seated at a workplace for several hours a day, she may rise and stretch periodically, take frequent strolling walks, and bend and exercise her legs and toes while sitting. These minor adjustments improve and support optimal blood circulation.

• Weight Control; Obesity puts extra strain on the veins in the limbs, which can lead to impaired blood circulation and the formation of blood clotting. If the patient is obese, merely a few kilos lost can reduce hypertension and boost blood circulation.

• Advise the patient to attend any scheduled follow-up consultations.

• Motivate the patient to take part in health-promoting activities, including vaccinations and medical checkups.

• Keep an eye on the patient for any lasting consequences of a PE, as well as their compliance to the suggested therapy plan.