Anaphylactic Shock Case Studies

History of Present Illness: Ms. Dahlberg is a very pleasant 69-year-old woman who suffers from poorly controlled asthma. She has a recent exacerbation requiring hospitalization at Anna Jaques Hospital in June. Since discharge, she states that she has done well. She has stable dyspnea on exertion. She does feel that perhaps it might be slightly worse given the heat and humidity. She is not complaining of any cough. She is compliant with her bronchodilator regimen.

Acute severe asthma previously called status asthmaticus is a life threatening medical condition characterized by bouts of repeated and worsening cough, wheezing, chest recession and inability to speak or drink that may result in acute respiratory failure and even death.1 These patients are also at risk for developing serious complications like aspiration pneumonia, pneumo-mediastinum, pneumothorax and hypoxic brain injury etc. 1Inhaled high dose short acting β2 agonists like salbutamol along with systemic steroids and supplemental oxygen are considered as first line treatment in all patients who

There are absolutely know differences between adrenaline and epinephrine. Epinephrine is basically a synthetic type of adrenaline. Moreover, the description of how epinephrine works is explained by the EpiPen website as, “It constricts blood vessels to increase blood pressure, relaxes smooth muscles in the lungs to reduce wheezing and improve breathing, stimulates the heart (increases heart rate) and works to reduce hives and swelling that may occur around the face and lips.” Because of this injection of adrenaline a person’s heart beats faster and their breath intake increases. As a result, an extreme energy boost occurs and therefore stopping the anaphylaxis attack, saving a

There are many allergic reactions that can occur from a single allergen. One reaction that stands above the rest is called anaphylaxis. Like any other reactions, anaphylaxis can occur from food, drugs, bites, or stings. If symptoms persist, death is possible from lack of air or cardiac arrest. Victims with high chances of having anaphylaxis carry a device that injects adrenaline, also medically known as epinephrine, which is the primary treatment for anaphylaxis. Epinephrine, or the Epipen is going to be the main topic of discussion for today. I am going to cover three parts: the history of the Epipen, the function of the device, and the impact that it has on society.

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Venkataraman, Ramesh, and Michael R. Pinsky. "Toxic Shock Syndrome." Medscape. 16 July 2010. Web. 17 Oct. 2011. <http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/169177- overview>.

How is Toxic Shock caused? Well its is caused by many ways. The first way could be cause is by a bacterial infection. The other way it could be caused would be your body might produce a little much of Staphylococcus Aureus bacterium. Another way could be the use of Tampons for women. The Tampon can scratch the vagina creating an opening for bacteria to get into your bloodstream. The last thing could be women who are menstruating or just had a baby.

Upon arriving at the scene, the advanced care paramedic would begin the primary survey. All dangers would be assessed, including environmental dangers, animals, agitated bystanders and any other alarming cues. Once all dangers have been assessed the ACPs begin investigating the patient’s responsiveness using the acronym AVPU (QLD.gov.au, 2016). An assessment of their alertness, verbal response, response to painful stimuli or unconsciousness is completed. Once assessed, the patient’s airway is then checked to be clear of any obstructions to ensure proper respiration can occur, at this point, the triple airway manoeuvre would be adjusted to only the opening of the mouth and the jaw thrust (QLD.gov.au, 2015). If the patient complains of neck and back tenderness, neurological deficit, evidence of intoxication or a distracting injury (QLD.gov.au, 2016. 2) spinal immobilisation is required to ensure no further damage to the spinal cord occurs or an aid to keep the patient as calm as possible if a distracting injury (Hodegetts et al., 2011). The patient's breathing should then be assessed now that the spine in immobilised to ensure the depth, rate and rhythm of the breaths are adequate. If needed an oropharyngeal airway may need to be inserted into the mouth to keep the tongue from blocking the airway if it is tolerated (Higginson et al,. 2013). Lastly, in the primary survey, the

Asthma is a chronic lung disease characterized by episodes in which the bronchioles constrict due to oversensitivity. In asthma, the airways (bronchioles) constrict making it difficult to get air in or out of the lungs. Breathlessness is the main symptom. The bronchi and bronchioles become inflamed and constricted. Asthmatics usually react to triggers. Triggers are substances and situations that would not normally trouble an asthma free person. Asthma is either extrinsic or intrinsic. Extrinsic is when the inflammation in the airway is a result of hypersensitivity reactions associated with allergy (food or pollen). Intrinsic asthma is linked to hyper responsive reactions to other forms of

Jane’s asthma was acute severe. Initially to alleviate some of Jane’s breathlessness she was sat up right in the bed and supported with pillows to improve air entry. Due to her low oxygen saturations she was placed on 40% oxygen via Hudson mask (BTS 2006), as Jane was mouth breathing the mask was the appropriate device to use to ensure adequate oxygenation (Walsh 2002). According to Inwald et al (2001) hypoxemia is frequently a primary cause in numerous asthma related deaths. By administering oxygen promptly, for acute severe asthma, serious hypoxemia

Shock is a life-threatening condition with a variety of underlying causes. It is critical that the nurse apply the nursing process as the guide for care. Shock is unpredictable and rapidly changing so the nurse must understand the underlying mechanisms of shock. The nurse must also be able to recognize the subtle as well as more obvious signs and then provide rapid assessment and response to provide the patient with the best chance for recovery. Coping skills are important, but not the ultimate priority. Keeping the physician updated with the most accurate information is important, but the nurse is in the best position to provide rapid assessment and response, which gives the patient the best chance for survival. Monitoring for significant

Shock is a life-threatening condition with a variety of underlying causes. Shock is caused when the cells have a lack of adequate blood supply and are deprived of oxygen and nutrients. In cases of shock, blood is shunted from peripheral areas of the body to the vital organs. Hemorrhage and decreased blood volume are associated with some, but not all, types of shock.

Irritant-induced asthma is described as asthma that is caused by exposure to more than one agent that could result to respiratory irritants when inhaled. It can occur during work or outside the workplace i.e. occur in an indoor and outdoor environment (Tarlo, 2013:1). There are currently no clinical diagnostic criteria that allow the acknowledgment of new-onset-asthma to low irritant exposure in each individual patient in the workplace. The recent publication thus suggest reconsideration of the role of irritants causing asthma, to include not only the very high exposures previously recognized to be able to cause asthma in a subset of exposed workers, likely from acute inflammatory responses, but also more chronic, lower exposures that may cause

Doing so could possible lead to a resurgence of this syndrome, which does carry the possibility of death, though it does currently have a relatively low mortality rate. Common symptomology for TSS includes sudden onset of fever, chills, rash, hypotension, renal failure, respiratory failure, blurred vision, malaise, edema, weakness, and changes in mental status. Though some of these symptoms may be similar to those for more common diseases, if one should experience these, it important to seek medical attention as soon as possible and not to brush this aside. This is why it is important to continue to make the public aware of toxic shock syndrome. In order to be diagnosed with TSS one would need to manifest at least five of the following criteria “fever, hypotension, having 3 organs with signs of dysfunction, rash with skin desquamation (i.e., peeling) 1–2 weeks after initial appearance of the rash, negative blood and cerebrospinal cultures for organisms other than S. aureus or S. pyogenes, and negative

Shock is described as life threatening medical emergency resulting from insufficient blood flow through the body (Huether & Mccance, 2012) There are five types of medical shock. These include septic shock, anaphylactic shock, cardiogenic shock, hypovolemic shock, and neurogenic shock (Huether & Mccance, 2012).