In normal breathing, the lungs expand and contract easily and rhythmically within the ribcage. To facilitate this movement and lubricate the moving parts, each lung is enveloped in a moist, smooth, two-layered membrane (the pleura). The outer layer of this membrane lines the ribcage, and between the layers is a virtually imperceptible space (the pleural space), which permits the layers to glide gently across each other. If either of your pleurae becomes inflamed and roughened, the gliding process is impeded and you are suffering from pleurisy. Pleurisy is actually a symptom of an underlying disease rather than a disease in itself. The pleurae may become inflamed as a complication of a lung or chest infection such as pneumonia or tuberculosis, or the inflammation may be caused by a slight pneumothorax or chest injury. The pleural inflammation sometimes creates a further complication by causing fluid to seep into the pleural space, resulting in a condition known as pleural effusion. However, pleurisy is not the only condition that can lead to pleural effusion, it may also be produced by diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, liver or kidney trouble or heart failure. Even cancer spreading from the lung, breast or ovary can cause pleural effusion. If you have pleurisy, it hurts to breathe deeply or cough, and chest pain is likely to be severe. Accompanying the pain are any other symptoms associated with the underlying disorder. The pain will disappear if a pleural effusion occurs as a consequence of pleurisy, because fluid stops the layers of the pleura from rubbing against each other; however, you may become breathless as the fluid accumulates. In most cases, the risks are those of the underlying cause. A big pleural effusion can compress the lungs and cause breathlessness. Any effusion may lead to empyema. A chest X-ray examination may be required.
Collapsed lungs happen most often as the result of some sort of trauma to the chest. This trauma includes but is not limited to rib fractures, gunshot wounds, knife wounds, or a hard hit to the chest, often the result of car accidents. There are also nonviolent causes for lung collapses, such as damaged lung tissue which is a result from smoking or other unhealthy activities. Unhealthy hung tissue is weaker than healthy lung tissue so it allows the lung to collapse more easily. Underlying undiagnosed medical conditions such as pneumonia, cystic fibrosis, tuberculosis, and lung cancer could also be causes of a collapsed lung. Another possible culprit of a collapsed lung is air blebs, small air filled blisters that present themselves on the outer lining of some people’s lungs. When air blubs rupture, they have the capacity to cause atelectasis.
ACHONDROPLASIA is known as being undersized, or less than 50in. in height. Having short limbs, a normal sized trunk, large head with a depressed nasal bridge and small face. This is a result of a disease in the thyroid gland. It can also be caused by Down syndrome or absorption, a cartilaginous tissue during the fetal stage. Hypochondroplasia, a mild form of dwarfism. Spinal tuberculosis and the deficiency of the pituitary gland secretions. Treatment with thyroxin or thyroid extract early in childhood results in normal growth and development. Somatrophin, also known as the human growth hormone is secreted by the anterior pituitary. Respiratory problems start to occur in infants. Symptoms of problems include snoring and sleeping with neck in a hyperextended condition. The limbs have rhizometic shortening. The legs are straight in infantry but when a child. He begins walking they develop a knock-knee position. When the child continues to walk legs begin to have a bowed-leg look. Occasionally, these curvatures are fixed. As the child continues to walk the kyphosis disappears and the back assumes a lordotic posture. If a delay in child’s walking occurs, the spine should be monitored closely for signs of gibbous formation. In infancy, hypercephalus can occur. Infants head circumference should be monitored close . Monthly checks of head circumference must be monitored. Radiologic studies are indicated if head circumference raises to disproportionately, or if symptoms of hydrocephalus. Child’s pediatrician should have a copy of head circumference curves for children with achondroplasia. Radiologic procedures for dwarfism include head ultrasound, C-T scan, or MRI of the head. If intervention is necessary, a ventriculoperitoneal shunt is placed relieving the pressure. Infants should also be monitored for foramen magnum compression. It is the opening at the base of the skull in which the brain stem and cervical spinal cord exit. When you have achondroplasia the foramen magnum is compressing the brain stem and spinal cord. Symptoms of narrowing include apnea the cessation of breathing and cervical myleopathy. C-T scans and MRI scans are done to examine the size of the infectious foramen magnum. A neurosurgical procedure called a foramen magnum decompression is executed to alarge foramen and alleviate further symptoms. Adolescents are at risk of getting lumbosacral spinal stenosis. The lumber spinal cord or nerve roots become compressed producing nerosurgical symptoms. Initial symptoms including weakness, tingling, and pain of the legs. Pain usually alleviated by assuming a squatting position.
Slade Plating Case Management Summary Despite the success of the Slade Company as manufacturer of metal products designed for industrial application, the production manager, Ralph Porter, was concerned about the dishonesty among employees in the Plating Department. Some of the workers were misusing the punch in-out system for those who wanted to leave early or arrive late. Given the long working hour and low payment, they lacked of motivation in performing their tasks, resulting in the dishonest action. However, because of informal groupings among some of them, they operated as a team to work harder doing peak orders.
Achondroplasia (ACH) is the most common form of short-limb dwarfism occuring in 1 in 15,000 to 28,000 births and appears to be slightly more prevalent in females, but indiscriminent toward race (1-3). Evidence has been found in Egypt for cases of ACH dating back as far as 4500 B.C. (4). In simplest terms, ACH is a disease where the dwarfing of bones formed in the cartilage occurs (5). There are many features that accompany this disease including rhizomelic (proximal) shortening of the extremities, megalencephaly (enlarged brain), short stature, trident hand, and frontal bossing (prominent forehead) (1, 3, 4, 6-8). Expression of this gene at high levels is primarily found in cells of the nervous system and the cartilage rudiments and chondrocytes in the growth plates of developing bone (7, 9). Due to the fact that there are numerous types of skeletal dysplasia, some which appear similar to ACH at times, the only way for complete confirmation is to perform molecular techniques such as genetic testing (1, 4, 8).
As mentioned above, emphysema affects the alveoli. When you develop emphysema the symptoms may go unnoticed for many years. With emphysema, your alveoli lose their elasticity and that makes it harder for the body to dispel the carbon dioxide. Also, the alveoli will eventually rupture and develop into one larger air sac. (Mayo Clinic)
The pleura are double-layered serous membranes that surround the lungs. The parietal pleura form an outer layer of the membrane and the visceral pleura forms the inner layer which covers the outside surface area of the lungs. Between the parietal and visceral pleura is the pleural cavity, this creates a space that enables the lungs to expand during inhalation.
...s. A pleural effusion is a collection of fluid next to the lung. When there are acids build up in your blood and urine, this is a complication of diabetes known as diabetic ketoacidosis.
The pleurisy is an inflammation of the pleura, which is the double layer of lining of the lungs. The most common symptom of pleurisy is an acute chest pain during respiration. The chest pain is accompanied by a high fever, cough with phlegm or blood, or difficulty breathing, you should consult a doctor immediately. The pleurisy can affect people of any age, but seniors who are over 65 are most at risk.
“Fierce pain, paralysis and sickness took over my body, for week’s doctors seemed to think I was either making it up, mad or anorexic. Eventually they discovered it was porphyria, and it was inherited from my father… We learned that antibiotics prescribed for a minor infection, had probably triggered it in my case, but after that, I generally suffered attacks in my pre-menstrual period. These attacks varied in severity, but the pain and vomiting were omnipresent… My weight gradually dropped, as I was unable to regain it in the short periods of time between attacks, which led me to an attack which left me almost completely paralyzed.” (Elizabeth, 2011)
COPD is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and is a major cause of disability. Millions of middle aged-adult and older adults are diagnosed with COPD. “Over the past decades chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has become widespread and is now the fourth leading cause of morbidity and mortality on a worldwide basis” (Hellem, Bruugsgaard, & Bergland, 2012, p. 206). This disease is a progressive disease that makes it hard to breathe. As time goes on the symptoms will get worse. Most people with COPD have both emphysema and chronic bronchitis. With emphysema, the walls between many of the air sacs are damaged which reduces the amount of gas exchange in the lungs. With chronic bronchitis, the lining of the airways is constantly irritated and inflamed. This causes the lining to thicken and thick mucus forms in the airways, which makes it hard to breathe.
Pulmonary Fibrosis is a condition where the lung tissue becomes thick and scarred. The thickening and scarring of the lungs makes it hard for the oxygen supply to be delivered throughout the body. The scarring can be caused by many different factors, but it is hard for doctors to figure out exactly what caused the onset of this disease. The damage caused by this disease cannot be repaired. Pulmonary Fibrosis usually affects the age group of forty to seventy years old. Men are more likely to develop this disease, but women can also get this disease. Pulmonary Fibrosis is not a transmittable disease. Little is actually known about how the disease develops. There seems to be a genetic connection and environmental factors that cause the disease to develop.
My case study encompasses pulmonary embolism and a saddle pulmonary embolism. The patient I chose was a female who had just given birth with no complications during labor, but developed a pulmonary embolism that later on was confirmed to be a saddle pulmonary embolism. Not known to me before this clinical study pulmonary embolism is a leading cause of death among pregnant women in the developed world. A pulmonary embolism is a sudden blockage in a lung artery. The blockage is usually by a blood clot that travels to the lung from the vein in the leg. A clot that forms in one part of the body and travels in the bloodstream to another part of the body is called and embolus (NAT13). Pulmonary embolism is a serious condition that can damage your lung due to lack of blood flow to your lung tissue, which can lead to pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary hypertension is increased pressures in the pulmonary artery. PE can also cause low oxygen levels in your blood and damage other organs in your body because of a lack of oxygen. If a blood clot is very large it can cause death. A pulmonary embolism can also be called a venous thromboembolism.
Chronic bronchitis is a disorder that causes inflammation to the airway, mainly the bronchial tubules. It produces a chronic cough that lasts three consecutive months for more than two successive years (Vijayan,2013). Chronic Bronchitis is a member of the COPD family and is prominently seen in cigarette smokers. Other factors such as air pollutants, Asbestos, and working in coal mines contributes to inflammation. Once the irritant comes in contact with the mucosa of the bronchi it alters the composition causing hyperplasia of the glands and producing excessive sputum (Viayan,2013). Goblet cells also enlarge to contribute to the excessive secretion of sputum. This effects the cilia that carry out the mechanism of trapping foreign bodies to allow it to be expelled in the sputum, which are now damaged by the irritant making it impossible for the person to clear their airway. Since the mechanism of airway clearance is ineffective, the secretion builds up a thickened wall of the bronchioles causing constriction and increasing the work of breathing. The excessive build up of mucous could set up pneumonia. The alveoli are also damaged enabling the macrophages to eliminate bacteria putting the patient at risk for acquiring an infection.
The Spleen by Anne Finch, the Countess of Winchelsea, presents an interesting poetic illustration of depression in the spleen. The spleen for Finch is an enigma, it is mysterious, shape-shifting, and melancholic. Melancholy leads the subject to flashes of a grander, terrifying emotion: the sublime. The subject of Finch’s Pindaric ode experiences the sublime, and yet has the uncanny ability to reflect and reason on the feeling with acuity--even though the subject suffers from depression, which in effect dulls sensory information. The fact that she intensely perceives the sublime suggests a paradox where dulled senses can produce a penetrative emotional episode. To understand the paradox, the theory of the sublime and Finch’s engagement with the sublime in The Spleen must be traced to conceive the state of the dulled mind in the thrall of an infinite, and transcendent wave of emotion. The focus of this essay is that Finch understands that Dullness, as a by-product of depression, enables rational thought during a sublime experience. Furthermore, she thus illustrates her experience through images where she emphasizes her sensory information and her feelings, which were supposedly numbed by depression. Her feelings, indicated in The Spleen, are the crux to how Finch is able to simultaneously feel numb, and process the sublime.
The current patient may be experiencing a range of traumatic injuries after his accident, the injuries that the paramedic will focus on are those that are most life threatening. These injuries include: a possible tension pneumothroax or a haemothorax, hypovolemic shock, a mild or stable pelvic fracture and tibia fibula fracture.