Emphysema Case Study Answers

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Blake Stokes Dr. Boyd A&PII Case Study #3 Part 1: Respiration 1. What could be causing his fatigue? What is sputum? The symptoms that Don is having are very similar to those associated with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD. The shortness of breath and poor sleeping pattern are both characteristics of someone with COPD. Don is also coughing of clear sputum, which is a mucus-like material that is found in the lungs and can be coughed up or spit out. Source: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease 2. Why is smoking significant in respiratory disorders? Smoking effects the respiratory through two main ways: the smoke and the tar. The hot smoke can cause the nasal and trachea passages to become inflamed. The tar and…show more content…
How do Don’s BP, pulse, and respiration compare to that which is considered “normal”? Don’s blood pressure, pulse, and respiration are all higher than what is considered normal. Source: Vital Sign Reference Charts 4. What factors or evidence would you draw upon to support the diagnosis of emphysema? The first factor when diagnosing Don with emphysema would be the shortness of breath. A person with emphysema normally experiences episodes of decreased airflow. This is due to the over-inflated alveoli that are not exchanging gases when a person breathes, due to little or no movement of gases out of the alveoli. The increased BP and respiratory rate show in the test that Dr. Murphy ordered show that Don has two big symptoms that could conclude he has emphysema. With this knowledge Dr. Murphy could easily notice that Don had underlying emphysema. Source: Emphysema 5. Why will the chest x-ray NOT look normal, given Don’s condition? The damaged that has already been done to Don’s airways cannot be reversed. Since he has improved his lifestyle for a year, he has prevented any further damage from happening, but his lungs will never become any healthier. Source: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary

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