HELP! in a patient supected of COPD, how do we explain the restlessness observed them? and ....?

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the patient has trachypnea, is restless and and has cyanosis.
and there has been a change in his color of sputum from white initially to yellow now. How do we explain each of these symptoms on a pathophysiological basis? And how do we explain the prolonged expiratory phase and the distension of neck vein in the expiratory phase of breathing?
Help. Need to answer them in the group discussion .
thanks!
The sputum change is probably due to a purulant infection that is causes the chronic bronchitis to become more acute. &/or some other sort of infection of the lungs exacerbating the already poor respiratory function. A classic symptom of poor respirator function is cyanosis because the blood is not carrying enough oxygen resulting in the darker than normal color. This causes the body to become agitated as it tries to take in more oxygen. The inflammation and asthma associated with COPD can also cause the body to have trouble moving air through narrowed bronchi resulting in the body (diaphram) using extra muscles to force the air through the narrow passages. This will increase pressure and cause venous distension which is excacerbated by the body's attempt to move more blood(increased heart rate) throughout. During inhalation the fresh air reaches the lungs more easily and becomes trapped causing the body to exhale more forcefully.
To some it up the patient needs O2, some antibiotics, anti-inflammatory agents both inhaled and probably medicated. @ worst case if the O2 sat will not come up intubation is the last resort.  (+ info)

A person who has psoriasis will experience which of the following?

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A) syncope
B) cyanosis
C) colitis
D) hidrosis
E) pruritus
  (+ info)

does anyone have a child with heart problems?

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how do u know if your child has a heart problem
what is cyanosis and can it come and go
Cyanosis is usually due to poor tissue perfusion due to low oxygen levels in the blood. This generally a respiratory (lung) issue in infants and children but can also be cardiac (heart ) related. Cyanosis itself is usually a bluish or pale skin tone, sometimes its only around the lips or nail beds. ECG, blood testing, SaO2 levels, and possible MRI and other testing is needed.  (+ info)

Should my daughter have oxygen therapy for 75-77% oxygen sats?

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My daughter has severe congenital heart defects. After 4 heart surgeries and more then 10 cardiac caths. in the last 15 years (she is 15) her oxygen sats. are at 75-77% on room air, when she is not sitting still. We are waiting for these things called arterial venous malformations to correct themselves, which could take up to a year, until they worry further about her oxygen sats. Should I have her on oxygen when she is doing chores or even going to the park with us for a walk? The cardiologist doesn't seem to be concerned, but it is also not HIS daughter. She is at about 90-95% when she is on 2 liters. Her fingers have also been clubbing (not going out to party, instead they start to look like the ends of a frog toes or like a club) when her sats. went down to 85% ambient air. Their argument is that is peripheral cyanosis and not central.
vcanfield - I'm sorry to hear about your daughter's illness. The question of supplemental oxygen is not completely straightforward. There have only been two studies looking at patients with cyanotic congenital heart disease and whether supplemental oxygen leads to any health benefits. Those studies were small but did not show any improvement in survival for patients using oxygen. Generally, patients with cyanotic heart disease are told to use oxygen if they feel better with it. If they are not short of breath at a saturation of 80%, it is not clear if they derive any benefit from being on oxygen.

Part of the question is WHY your daughter is cyanotic. In people with pulmonary arteriovenous malformations, the blood that travels through these malformations goes through the lungs without being oxygenated - we call this an intrapulmonary shunt. This is what causes their saturations to go down. They generally don't see much of an improvement with oxygen because the problem is not one of oxygen/CO2 exchange. If her saturations go from mid-70s to mid 90s with oxygen, that raises the possibility of lung disease rather than low saturations due to a shunt. This might be something that your doctors will want to investigate further.

The argument that her cyanosis is peripheral and not central is a little questionable, but then I don't know the details of her medical history. What that argument suggests is that blood samples from her aorta show normal saturations even though the oximeter shows low saturations. If this is truly the case, then oxygen is probably not necessary. BUT one would not expect this to improve with supplemental oxygen, and she has good reason to have truly low saturations (her pulmonary AV malformations).

The bottom line is, if you daughter feels completely fine, it is not clear that oxygen will make any difference at all other than to make her numbers look better. If she feels limited by fatigue or shortness of breath when she walks or does chores, then oxygen can certainly help. The most important thing is to bring up your concerns with the cardiologist. It is impossible to give really good advice without knowing a person's medical history and doing a physical exam.  (+ info)

EMT treatment for a massive hemothorax?

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What are the options usually available to EMTs when a hemothorax is suspected? Also, what symptoms would lead them to believe a hemothorax has occurred (assuming the victim is unconscious from a car accident)? Must those symptoms appear in any particular order (for example will cyanosis always precede hypotension)?
A massive hemothorax does not generally cause cyanosis. Cyanosis is caused by deoxygenated blood. In a "massive hemothorax", you are having problems with blood loss b/c the blood is inside your chest cavity instead of your blood vessels. Most patients are pale, not cyanotic.
EMT's provide basic life support only. For a hemothorax, they can give the patient oxygen, position them on the stretcher in a manner that attempts to preserve blood flow to the heart and brain (Trendelenberg position), and rapid transport to the hospital. As someone mentioned below, paramedics can stick a needle in someones chest to relieve the pressure. However, this is the treatment for a pneumothorax (air), not a hemothorax (blood). It is not nearly as effective for a hemothorax, but the two (pneum and hemo- thorax) often occur together in trauma. In the hospital, they will put in at least 1 chest tube. this is a tube about as big as a man's index finger that is inserted from the side (midaxillary line), above the 5th rib. The tube is then hooked up to a suction device to help remove the blood. If there is enough blood the patient then goes to the operating room. If the patient is actually dying, they can go ahead and "crack" the chest in the emergency department. This is a temporizing measure that allows them to identify and stop large, obvious sources of bleeding, and preserve vital organ perfusion by cross-clamping the aorta.  (+ info)

Bronchitis? Anaemia? Allergies? What's wrong with me???

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First off I have allergies (pet hair, pollen, etc.) and I have been diagnosed with Anaemia. Also I had a low-grade fever yesterday of 99.3-99.6.

Well my symptoms are:
→Fatigue
Dry Cough
Scratchy Throat
Cold
Cyanosis if the Nailbeds
Tight/Heaviness in chest
Shortness of breath
Clear mucus

Any idea of what might be wrong?
Well I am not sure where the idea came from but 99.3-99.6 is not a fever. I would not be very worried in an adult until I saw a fever of 102+ for a long period of time. So don't worry about that. If you smoke, that will cover every symptom, but if not you may have a virus that will make you feel bad for a few days, and run its course, nothing you can do for a virus. If you have someone look in the back of your throat and they see white patches on the back of your throat you could have strep, but seems unlikely. Hope this helps.  (+ info)

Which is not a hallmark of inflammation?

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a. redness
b. pain
c. heat
d. swelling
e. cyanosis
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The major sign of hypoventilation is?

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a. cyanosis
b. increased airway resistance
c. hypercapnia
d. dyspnea
e. hypoxia
I may be looking to far into this question. The best indication of ventilation (with out a doubt) is PaCO2 or carbon dioxide in the arterial blood. To much is hypercapnia or low ventilation. This is a blood test result.

Signs are what someone can SEE and symptoms are what someone can FEEL.

If you consider a blood test as a sign, then C is your answer.

If you do not consider a blood test a sign then A, cyanosis is your answer.

I hope I didn't confuse you.  (+ info)

Earliest sign of respiratory distress?

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What is the earliest sign of respiratory distress in children?
A. cyanosis
B. dyspnea
C. fever
D. restlessness
  (+ info)

can you give me an example of nursing diagnosis?

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ex. impaired skin integrity related to immobility as evidenced by cyanosis
risk of poisoning related to overdosage in med. as evidenced by drowsiness
Ineffective airway clearance related to stasis of secretions as evidenced by pain, weakness, fatigue and presence of tenacious secretions.  (+ info)

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