The case study enclosed the treatment of a 34-year-old Hispanic woman of average weight and height. She was admitted with an apparent case of influenza and had trouble breathing. Her history of disease included asthma, high blood cholesterol, diabetes mellitus type 2, hypertension associated with diabetes and morbid obesity which ran in the family. However, she had not smoked or taken drugs ever and also did not consume alcohol. Being single, without children, she was sexually active yet did not take any kind of birth control or protection. She presented with a case of a dry cough since 2 days, shortness of breath at resting, dizziness and chest pain. Particularly she had experienced tightness of chest when the coughing started. She had had a high fever at home that reached 104 (Case study 1, n.d). She came into the hospital with a case of asthma and sepsis accompanied by pneumonia. Pneumonia had to be countered first, so treatment began with it. The next problem to tackle was the shortness of breath and asthma for which she was given prednisone, but her condition kept declining. She desaturated with her vitals below normal. After further treatment, the vitals improved but her breathing remained short and difficult. Intubation was necessary when she had increased accessory muscle use. Complications aggravated with alveolar pulmonary edema. ECMO seemed the right choice for better oxygenation in the body, but no machine was available. Hence, all her symptoms were noted for the diagnosis of her disease. She had sepsis, severe respiratory failure, pneumonia, tachycardia, influenza A with pneumonia, diabetes mellitus type 2 and thus was in need of critical care (Case study 1, n.d). Thus, she was diagnosed with Influenza-Induced Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. The fluid buildup in the alveoli of the lungs causes the disease to progress (Mayo Clinic, 2016). The oxygen depravity due to the fluid causes shortness of breath and the worst case may cause long-lasting damage to the lungs and even death (Harman, 2015). The current treatment plan is the right choice, such as keeping her sedated and watching her vitals which will stabilize with the antibiotics and oxygen regulation in her body. After stability, she can be taken off the intubation, provided her breathing improves.
Work Cited
Harman, M. Eloise. (2015). “ARDS.” Medscape. Retrieved from
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/165139-clinical
Mayo Clinic. (2016). “ARDS. Definition.” Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-
conditions/ards/basics/definition/con-20030070
