Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease - Case Study Example

The cough has sputum and the patient constantly has mucus (Wright and Churg, n.d). Emphysema, which is caused by deterioration of the air sacs in the lungs, is the other form of COPD, as the patient ages the holes in the air sacs get bigger causing difficulty in breathing (Wright and Churg, n.d). For the case study, we will look at Stella Bernhardt a sixty two year old who comes from a family with a smoking history and cancer history as her mother and 2 aunts died from lung cancer. She had been smoking one pack per day for the past forty-six years and her attempts to quit had not been successful until diagnosis (Lederman, n.d) Stella was an office manager for an independent insurance agency until retirement, she is also married and her husband’s age is 68 years old.

On her first visit five years ago, Stella had complained of shortness of breath and getting tired quickly and she was diagnosed with stage 1 Emphysema Stella has been having increased mucus production and is no longer drinking milk as she has been advised that it will increase the mucus. The COPD has also caused the Alveoli to enlarge significantly and get destroyed and this is the cause of her difficulty in breathing. . The antibiotic administered was Chephalonsporin: Ancef and for a bronchodilator Ipratromium Bromide and Albutrelol Sulfate.

Sputum cultures and a gram stain were taken for analysis, it was seen that there was an increase in the cellularity of the alveolar walls as is expected with smokers. Stage two of the disease led to an accelerated rate of weight loss has resulted in the patients dentures no longer fitting. The patient whose average weight was previously approximately 147 Lbs has now dropped to 119 lbs, which signifies a 20% weight loss. Her clothes can no longer fit, her facial features look sunken and her skin is now dry showing signs of Edema.

The patient also has a high body temperature of 98.8 degrees Fahrenheit, an increased respiratory rate of 22 bpm and her breath has become shorter. The patients OCPD have also resulted in the development of pneumonia which will require independent treatment. The social impact of this disease to the patient’s outlook on life is very important to their treatment. The patient’s physical look is significantly diminished with their 20% loss in weight, dentures no longer fitting properly and dried skin.

This could lead to severe depression, which will result in a poor outlook on the treatment and thus a lower ability to respond to it. The deterioration of the alveoli at the second stage also means that the patient is experiencing severe loss of breath even when simply lying in bed. This bedridden state does make the patient be viewed as weak or unable to perform by the friends and relatives and if care is not taken, it too could lead to depression (Marini and Stebnicki, 2012). The society might also reject the individual leading