Sammy, age 3 years, ate his dinner and then said his tummy hurt. His mother sugg

Question

Sammy, age 3 years, ate his dinner and then said his tummy hurt. His mother suggested he lie down in the adjacent room while his parents finished dinner. A few minutes later, they heard Sammy vomiting. His mother rushed in to lift Sammy up. When vomiting ceased, they noticed Sammy continued to cough and seemed to be choking. He was struggling to breathe and a wheezing sound was obvious. It appeared that he had aspirated some vomitus. His parents drove him to a nearby hospital for examination.

1. Analyze the specific effects of aspirating vomitus on Sammy, including the probable effects on his bronchi and lungs, and why might one lung be affected more than the other.

2. Appraise explanations for Sammy’s difficulty breathing and wheezing.

3. Discriminate the pathophysiologic changes causing the manifestations.

Explanation / Answer

Answers:-
1. Sammy is suffering from aspiration pneumonia.
    -Aspiration pneumonia is a complication of pulmonary aspiration in which food, stomach acid,liquids, or vomit is breathed into the lungs or airways leading to the lungs, instead of being swallowed into the esophagus and stomach.
    - Aspiration may cause bronchitis, infections and reduced airflow.

2. Aspiration causes reduced airways then difficulty in breathing and chest pain, it also cause wheezing (whistling sound).

3. Pathophysiology of aspiration:-
         -Aspiration pneumonia results from inhalation of stomach contents or secretions of the oropharynx, leading to lower respiratory tract infection.
         - it may cause Chemical pneumonitis (chemical irritation of the lungs) which may progress to acute respiratory distress syndrome and/or bacterial infection.

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