ATI active learning template system disorder for COPD
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
ATI Active Learning Template: System Disorder for COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
Diagnosis:
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Expected Findings:
- Chronic cough with sputum production
- Dyspnea (shortness of breath), especially on exertion
- Wheezing and chest tightness
- Decreased breath sounds and prolonged expiration
- Use of accessory muscles to breathe
- Fatigue and recurrent respiratory infections
- Barrel chest (due to lung hyperinflation)
- Cyanosis (bluish skin color due to low oxygen levels)
- Clubbing of fingers or toes (due to chronic low oxygen levels)
Risk Factors:
- Cigarette smoking (most common cause)
- Secondhand smoke exposure
- Occupational exposure to dust, chemicals, and fumes
- Genetic factors (alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency)
- History of frequent respiratory infections in childhood
Nursing Interventions:
- Assess respiratory status regularly, noting any changes in oxygen saturation, lung sounds, and breathing patterns.
- Administer oxygen therapy as prescribed to maintain oxygen saturation levels between 88-92%.
- Encourage pursed-lip breathing to help with exhalation and reduce air trapping.
- Promote smoking cessation through counseling, support groups, and pharmacologic interventions.
- Instruct on proper use of inhalers (e.g., bronchodilators and corticosteroids) to ensure effective medication delivery.
- Provide adequate nutrition, ensuring high-protein, high-calorie meals to combat weight loss.
- Encourage pulmonary rehabilitation to improve exercise tolerance and overall quality of life.
- Administer medications as prescribed, including bronchodilators, corticosteroids, and antibiotics for exacerbations.
- Monitor for complications such as respiratory infections, heart failure, and hypoxia.
Pathophysiology:
COPD is a progressive inflammatory lung disease that leads to airflow limitation. It is most often caused by long-term exposure to irritants like tobacco smoke, which triggers inflammation in the airways and alveoli. Over time, this leads to narrowing of the airways, decreased lung elasticity, and destruction of the alveolar walls (emphysema), which impairs the ability to exchange gases. The body attempts to compensate by increasing the production of mucus and recruiting additional muscles to assist with breathing. However, this compensation is not enough to prevent the decline in lung function, leading to symptoms like chronic cough, dyspnea, and reduced oxygen levels. COPD is characterized by exacerbations (acute worsening of symptoms), which are often triggered by respiratory infections or environmental factors.