Cardiovascular and Respiratory Systems
An understanding of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems is a critically important component of disease diagnosis and treatment. This importance is magnified by the fact that these two systems work so closely together. A variety of factors and circumstances that impact the emergence and severity of issues in one system can have a role in the performance of the other.
Effective disease analysis often requires an understanding that goes beyond these systems and their capacity to work together. The impact of patient characteristics, as well as racial and ethnic variables, can also have an important impact.
An understanding of the symptoms of alterations in cardiovascular and respiratory systems is a critical step in diagnosis and treatment of many diseases. For APRNs this understanding can also help educate patients and guide them through their treatment plans.
In this Assignment, you examine a case study and analyze the symptoms presented. You identify the elements that may be factors in the diagnosis, and you explain the implications to patient health.
To prepare:
By Day 1 of this week, you will be assigned to a specific case study scenario for this Case Study Assignment. Please see the “Announcements” section of the classroom for your assignment from your Instructor.
The Assignment
In your Case Study Analysis related to the scenario provided, explain the following
- The cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary pathophysiologic processes that result in the patient presenting these symptoms.
- Any racial/ethnic variables that may impact physiological functioning.
- How these processes interact to affect the patient.
Case scenario
A “45-year-old woman presents with chief complaint of 3-day duration of shortness of breath, cough with thick green sputum production, and fevers. Patient has history of COPD with chronic cough but states the cough has gotten much worse and is interfering with her sleep. Sputum is thicker and harder for her to expectorate. CXR reveals flattened diaphragm and increased AP diameter. Auscultation demonstrates hyper resonance and coarse rales and rhonchi throughout all lung fields.”
In the given case scenario, the patient is a 45-year-old woman who presents with the chief complaint of shortness of breath, cough with thick green sputum production, and fevers. She has a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with a chronic cough, but her symptoms have worsened recently. The patient also mentions that the cough is interfering with her sleep, and her sputum has become thicker and more difficult to expectorate. Upon examination, her chest X-ray (CXR) reveals a flattened diaphragm and increased anterior-posterior (AP) diameter. Auscultation of the patient’s lung fields demonstrates hyperresonance and coarse rales and rhonchi throughout.- Cardiovascular and Cardiopulmonary Pathophysiologic Processes: Based on the symptoms presented, several pathophysiologic processes can contribute to the patient’s condition:
- Exacerbation of COPD: The patient’s history of COPD, coupled with the worsening cough, shortness of breath, and sputum production, suggests an exacerbation of COPD. COPD is a chronic lung disease characterized by persistent airflow limitation, usually caused by long-term exposure to irritants such as cigarette smoke. Exacerbations are typically triggered by respiratory infections or environmental factors, leading to increased inflammation and mucus production, airway obstruction, and worsening of symptoms.
- Respiratory Infection: The presence of fever, increased sputum production, and thick green sputum indicates a respiratory infection. Infections can be bacterial or viral, and they often cause an inflammatory response in the respiratory system. This inflammation leads to increased mucus production, airway constriction, and impaired gas exchange, resulting in symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, and changes in sputum characteristics.
