Bernice Mottram is a 70 year old female. Bernice has smoked since she was 25 yea

Question

Bernice Mottram is a 70 year old female. Bernice has smoked since she was 25 years old, smoking on average 10 cigarettes per day. Bernice has been finding that in the last 2 years, she fatigues easily, even with light exertion, experiencing significant shortness of breath. On consultation with her doctor for her increasing shortness of breath, Bernice was noted to have a prolonged expiratory phase in her breathing, increased anterior-posterior chest diameter and cyanosis of the nail beds. Bernice also describes a having a mucous producing cough that lasted for 3 months during winter, and this has happened every winter for the last years Bernice was referred to the respiratory investigations department, in which pulmonary function tests were performed. Her results were as follows TABLE1 Testing parameter Vital capacity Residual volume Functional residual capacity Increased Expiratory flow rate Arterial PO O, saturation Arterial PCO Test findings (in relation to normal values) Decreased Increased Decreased 48mmHg (normal> 100mmHg) 78% (normal >95%) 69mmHg (normal

Explanation / Answer

Q.4

The patient has an increased anterior-posterior chest diameter as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) defined as a ling disease which includes chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and refractory asthma. the main characteristic of COPD is increasing in breathlessness.

COPD is a kind of incurable disease but people can manage to live for several years with the help of the right treatment and diagnosis.

as it is mentioned in the definition of COPD that it includes emphysema - in this the alveoli in patient's lungs are damaged and because of this the damaged alveoli its wall become stretched out and because of this patient lungs get bigger and it made difficult the movement of air in and out. so its difficult to get oxygen in and move CO2 out of the patient lungs. because of which our vital capacity decreases and residual volume increase because as vital capacity define as the greatest amount of the ait which is moved out from the patient lungs and the residual volume defined as the amount of air remain inside the lungs. and because of this only the patient functional residual capacity increases and the expiratory flow rate decreases

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