The patient developed respiratory complications which led to severe anasarchia, no corneal reflexes and no papillary responses. She was later pronounced dead on the fourth day of hospitalization. Mrs. M’s mother succumbed to death from congestive heart failure at the age of 65 years while the father died from myocardical complications at the age of 48 years. One of Mrs. M’s sisters died at the age of 46 years from cardiompathy which is a complication that had developed from a heart failure which she had harbored for two years prior to her death. Mrs. M’s other sister has had a heart transplant due to congestive heart failure which she developed at the age of 38 years.
The patient’s management during the first clinic visit was conducted in a basic manner such that the lab exams and physical exams were partly done even within the knowledge that the patient had a positive history of cardiovascular illnesses (Jarvis, 2015). Myorcardial perfusion test for instance was avoided and this could have helped detect any abnormalities in the blood flow as well as the pumping action of the heart. On the other hand, blood samples as well as D-Dimer tests would have helped detect any cases of blood clots as well as potential imbalances in fluid within the blood which may act as the trigger factors for cardiovascular complications (Jarvis, 2015). Such a strategy would have helped develop a more responsive holistic care plan for the patient and minimized the chances of progression of the illness as it happened in this case (Lubin, Dodson & Winawer, 2012).
References
Jarvis, C. (2015). Physical examination & health assessment (7th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Saunders Elsevier.
Lubin, M. F., Dodson, T., & Winawer, N. (2012). Medical management of the surgical patient: A textbook of perioperative medicine. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Molina, T., Nichols, L., & Klionsky, B. (2000). Case 223 --Cardiovascular Pathology Case. Retrieved from http://path.upmc.edu/cases/case223.html
