Pneumonia is a condition that occurs in the lungs that causes inflammation. It is caused by infections at large. However, bacteria, fungi, viruses and other parasites may also be responsible for the condition. Older people who are above 65 years, people having chronic illness and those who have a week immune system are more prone and likely to this kind of inflammation.
Pneumonia can range from mild to life threatening illness. In fact this condition is characterized with high inflammation in the lungs which is caused by the abnormal filling of fluid in the alveolar. Alveoli are very small air filled sacks that are responsible for exchange of gas in the lungs.
Causes of Pneumonia
The body has a natural mechanism to protect itself from any kind of infections. In reality, the body is constantly exposed to viruses and bacteria that are responsible for pneumonia. Nonetheless, the body always has a defense system for pneumonia. These defenses are in the form of coughs and other microorganism in the body which prevents the microorganism that invades the airways. Many condition like systemic illness and malnutrition can lower the immune system and allow the harmful infections to enter the lungs. Thereafter, the organism attacks the white blood cells and the immune system. This causes the air sacs to become inflamed instantly and filled them with fluid.
Microorganism, irritants and other unknown cases can cause pneumonia.
Symptoms and signs of Pneumonia
Depending on the condition, pneumonia symptoms can vary greatly with different people. In fact, it usually starts with a cough and fever which may resemble that of flu. This may cause a little confusion to know whether the conditions are severe or not.
The common signs and...
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...e of the simple home remedies for pneumonia is by rubbing the patient rib cage with a small amount of turpentine oil. This lessens the rib pain and relieves you in a great way. After the massage, cover the rib cage with a warm cloth which will soothe the pain.
• Vegetable juice like that of carrot, beet, cucumber and spinach is one of the ideal home remedies for pneumonia. This is because vegetable juice helps building the immune system. Prepare a mixture of the vegetable juice. Take a 200 ml of spinach juice in a 100 ml of cucumber and beet juice and 300 ml of carrot juice. Mix this well and drink it everyday which is effective for pneumonia treatment.
Apart from all the home remedies for pneumonia, a well-balanced diet which is emphasized on fresh fruits and raw vegetables is an over all effective treatment for pneumonia. In addition to all these avoid stimulant
Hospital-acquired infections (HAI) are preventable and pose a threat to hospitals and patients; increasing the cost, nominally and physically, for both. Pneumonia makes up approximately 15% of all HAI and is the leading cause of nosocomial deaths. Pneumonia is most frequently caused by bacterial microorganisms reaching the lungs by way of aspiration, inhalation or the hematogenous spread of a primary infection. There are two categories of Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia (HAP); Health-Care Associated Pneumonia (HCAP) and Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).
Ventilator Associated Pneumonia (VAP) is a very common hospital acquired infection, especially in pediatric intensive care units, ranking as the second most common (Foglia, Meier, & Elward, 2007). It is defined as pneumonia that develops 48 hours or more after mechanical ventilation begins. A VAP is diagnosed when new or increase infiltrate shows on chest radiograph and two or more of the following, a fever of >38.3C, leukocytosis of >12x10 9 /mL, and purulent tracheobronchial secretions (Koenig & Truwit, 2006). VAP occurs when the lower respiratory tract that is sterile is introduced microorganisms are introduced to the lower respiratory tract and parenchyma of the lung by aspiration of secretions, migration of aerodigestive tract, or by contaminated equipment or medications (Amanullah & Posner, 2013). VAP occurs in approximately 22.7% of patients who are receiving mechanical ventilation in PICUs (Tablan, Anderson, Besser, Bridges, & Hajjeh, 2004). The outcomes of VAP are not beneficial for the patient or healthcare organization. VAP adds to increase healthcare cost per episode of between $30,000 and $40,000 (Foglia et al., 2007) (Craven & Hjalmarson, 2010). This infection is also associated with increase length of stay, morbidity and high crude mortality rates of 20-50% (Foglia et al., 2007)(Craven & Hjalmarson, 2010). Currently, the PICU has implemented all of the parts of the VARI bundle except the daily discussion of readiness to extubate. The VARI bundle currently includes, head of the bed greater then or equal to 30 degrees, use oral antiseptic (chlorhexidine) each morning, mouth care every 2 hours, etc. In the PICU at children’s, the rates for VAP have decreased since the implementation of safety ro...
Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) remains to be a common and potentially serious complication of ventilator care often confronted within an intensive care unit (ICU). Ventilated and intubated patients present ICU physicians, nurses, and respiratory therapists with the unique challenge to integrate evidence-informed practices surrounding the delivery of high quality care that will decrease its occurrence and frequency. Mechanical intubation negates effective cough reflexes and hampers mucociliary clearance of secretions, which cause leakage and microaspiration of virulent bacteria into the lungs. VAP is the most frequent cause of nosocomial infections and occurs within 48 hours of intubation. VAP is a major health care burden with its increased morbidity, mortality, longer ventilator days and hospital stay, and escalating health care cost.
My disease is Streptococcal pneumonia or pneumonia is caused by the pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae. Streptococcus pneumoniae is present in human’s normal flora, which normally doesn’t cause any problems or diseases. Sometimes though when the numbers get too low it can cause diseases or upper respiratory tract problems or infections (Todar, 2008-2012). Pneumonia caused by this pathogen has four stages. The first one is where the lungs fill with fluid. The second stage causes neutrophils and red blood cells to come to the area which are attracted by the pathogen. The third stage has the neutrophils stuffed into the alveoli in the lungs causing little bacteria to be left over. The fourth stage of this disease the remaining residue in the lungs are take out by the macrophages. Aside from these steps pneumonia follows, if the disease should persist further, it can get into the blood causing a systemic reaction resulting in the whole body being affected (Ballough). Some signs and symptoms of this disease are, “fever, malaise, cough, pleuritic chest pain, purulent or blood-tinged sputum” (Henry, 2013). Streptococcal pneumonia is spread through person-to-person contact through aerosol droplets affecting the respiratory tract causing it to get into the human body (Henry, 2013).
- The main issue is whether the health care providers should start antibiotics for Mr. Dawson’s pneumonia. The team is divided on starting the treatment or don’t start because the treatment would just prolong Mr. Dawson’s suffering.
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.
Second is pneumonia, which is a lung inflammation, may also cause short of breath and a cough. An infection is usually the caused of the disease so, so you will need to take antibiotics. If you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), it is likely your breathlessness is a sign this condition has suddenly got worse. (Manning & Mahler, 2001)
However, with pulmonary edema the alveoli fill with fluid instead of air. Pulmonary edema is the ending result of abnormal build-up of fluid leads to shortness of breath. The term edema itself generally means swelling. This can happen either because of too much pressure in the blood vessels or not enough proteins in the bloodstream to hold on to the fluid in the plasma; the part of the blood that does not contain any blood cells (Medicinenet). This lung condition is usually caused by a number of cardiac and non-cardiac conditions such as: Coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, heart valve problems, high blood pressure, acute respiratory distress syndrome, high altitudes, nervous system conditions, adverse drug reactions, pulmonary embolism, and smoke inhalation (Brunner 2015). These many conditions are all health related problems that should be examined by a
The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) was used to find peer-reviewed articles, using query terms such as: aspiration pneumonia, ventilator, and prevention. In addition, the TWUniversal search engine was utilized to find peer-reviewed articles, with the key words: aspiration pneumonia, ventilator, and enteral.
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infection that can attack any part of the body, but it is normally found in the lungs (Huether, McCance, Brashers and Rote, 2008,). TB is an infection caused by a acid-fast bacillus also know as Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Huether et al. 2008) It is one of the leading causes of death in Asia, China, Indian, Indonesia and Pakistan (Huether et al. 2008). These countries show that in most cases the incidence rate is highest in young adults, and are usually the result from re-infection in recent infections. The spread of TB is attributed to the emigration of infected people from high-prevalent countries, substance abuse, poverty, transmission in crowd places, and the lack of proper medical care for the infected individuals (Huether et al. 2008).
In patients infected with K. pneumonia, inflammatory mechanisms can cause tissue damage that is related with a release of “alarm proteins” (Achouiti, 2012). These alarm proteins are known as the Damage Associated Molecular Patters (DAMPs) and are seen in neutrophils where they potentially affect up to 45 percent of the cytoplasmic protein (Achouiti, 2012). This is harmful because it inhibits the body’s ability to fight the infection, as neutrophils are the body’s natural immunity defense.
Pneumonia can also become a hospital acquired infection. Ventilator-associated pneumonia is a type of lung infection that occurs in a person who has been on a ventilator.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a lung disease that affects breathing. This disease is one that blocks or obstructs air flow which then affects the way that one breathes. It diminishes the capability of airflow in and out of the lungs. COPD is the term used for a group of different diseases that affect the lungs. The two most common types of COPD are emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Emphysema is a destruction of the small bronchioles in the lungs and chronic bronchitis is an inflammation of the lining of the bronchial tubes. Both emphysema and chronic bronchitis are obstructive diseases that impact breathing in a negative manner. (COPD, 2014)
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.
Nursing Diagnosis I for Patient R.M. is ineffective airway clearance related to retained secretions. This is evidenced by a weak unproductive cough and by both objective and subjective data. Objective data includes diagnosis of pneumonia, functional decline, and dyspnea. Subjective data include the patient’s complaints of feeling short of breath, even with assistance with basic ADLs. This is a crucial nursing diagnosis as pneumonia is a serious condition that is the eighth leading cause of death in the United States and the number one cause of death from infectious diseases (Lemon, & Burke, 2011). It is vital to keep the airway clear of the mucus that may be produced from the inflammatory response of pneumonia. This care plan is increasingly important because of R.M.'s state of functional decline; he is unable to perform ADL and to elicit a strong cough by himself due to his slouched posture. Respiratory infections and in this case, pneumonia, will further impair the airway (Lemon, & Burke, 2011). Because of the combination of pneumonia and R.M's other diagnoses of lifelong asthma, it is imperative that the nursing care plan of ineffective airway clearance be carried out. The first goal of this care plan was to have the patient breathe deeply and cough to remove secretions. It is important that the nurse help the patient deep breathe in an upright position; this is the best position for chest expansion, which promotes expansion and ventilation of all lung fields (Sparks and Taylor, 2011). It is also important the nurse teach the patient an easily performed cough technique and help mobilize the patient with ADL's. This helps the patient learn to cough and clear their airways without fatigue (Sparks a...