Case Study: Mr. Saunders

Mr. James Saunders is a 36 year old male who has been admitted with exacerbation of his asthma. It has also been noted that his respiratory rate appears moderately fast at 28 breaths per minute. In Mr. Saunders medical history it has been noted that he has struggled with disease for his whole life. He is presenting a degree of shortness of breath which he states as usual for him. Reflecting on this analysis, Mr. Saunders will require a respiratory assessment for further analysis and for diagnosis.

A respiratory assessment umbrella's all assessments that include the thoracic cavity as well as lungs and heart. Useful adjuncts to monitor respiratory function are arterial blood gas analysis, peak flow measurements and pulse oximetry (Hunter,

Saunders has a history of asthma and in conjunction with a respiratory assessment an asthma assessment will be required. A brief patient history is needed to evaluate, looking for a history of rapid onset, exaggerated use of β-agonists and mechanical ventilation for asthma. Symptoms sound is taken into account, in the case of Mr. Saunders he is experiencing shortness of breath, speaking in short sentences, presenting wheezing, flushed appearance as well as dyspnoea. Additionally, the severity of the symptoms should be taken into account, how often they occur and whether they cause exercise limitations or nocturnal wakening (Kaufman, 2012). It is also important to establish any medications whether it be prescribed, over the counter, or herbal remedies that the patient may be taking as some medications have been known to exacerbate asthma (Kaufman, 2012). In addition to exploring clinical history, it is also important to obtain objective data to support the diagnosis (Kaufman, 2012). Physical examinations are a part of an asthma assessment and are very essential to help backup the diagnosis. Respiratory rate, heart rate and pulse paradoxus are all sections of the physical examination. In conjunction with these a spirometry is also required. A spirometry is best pathway of identifying airflow obstruction which will make a definitive diagnosis of asthma (Kaufman, 2012). This assessment required the patient to use maximum force to expel the air from their lungs, as fast and hard as possible. This process is measure over 1 second and conducted 3 times, thus the highest recording of the three is taken (Kaufman, 2012). A result lower than 70% strongly indicates airway obstruction; hence lower the ratio, the more severity of the obstruction (Kaufman,