NURS 6501 Week 4 Module 2 Assignment: Case Study Analysis Walden Sample Essay

NURS 6501 Week 4 Module 2 Assignment: Case Study Analysis Walden Sample Essay

Module 2 Assignment: Case Study Analysis

The burden of cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary diseases continues to increase at a worrying trend in the U.S. Most of the diseases are attributed to lifestyle changes; though, genetic factors could also be predisposing factors (Moonesinghe et al., 2019). The current case involves a 65-year-old who is 8 days post op after knee replacement. The patient presents with shortness of breath, palpitations and pleuritic chest pain. An ECG was done on the patient and it indicated an onset of atrial fibrillation and right ventricular strain. The purpose of this paper will be to explain various aspects of the case study including the cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary pathophysiological processes, racial variables as well as the interactions of the said processes.

Pathophysiology

Cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary diseases are characterized by insufficiency in the blood supply to all parts of the body. In this case, the patient presented with shortness of breath and pleuritic chest pain

on palpitation which could be attributed to a lack of enough oxygen supply in the lungs (Lefevre-Scelles et al., 2020). An embolism refers to the blockage in one of the arteries due to a blood clot of accumulation of fats (Kaptein et al., 2021). The condition results in inflammation in the pleural membrane that causes sharp and intense pain. The shortness of breath is due to a lack of enough oxygen in the body (Ishaaya & Tapson, 2020).

Genetic factors influence the risk of cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary diseases. The burden of the disease is high among African Americans due to variants in the ARMC5 gene (Zilbermint et al., 2018). The rs116201073 variant is common among blacks and contributes to their increased risk for cardiovascular disease (Zilbermint et al., 2019).

The race of the patient is not indicated; however, immobility and old age could have contributed to the development of the symptoms. The atrial fibrillation in the ECG report indicates a failure in the heart muscles due to the strain caused by an embolism (Ahmed & Zhu, 2020).

Conclusion

The case involves patients with symptoms of pulmonary embolism. The heart strains because of the increased demand for oxygen supply. The pain experienced by the patient result from both inflammation and lack of oxygen.

References

Ahmed, N., & Zhu, Y. (2020). Early detection of atrial fibrillation based on ECG signals. Bioengineering, 7(1), 16. 

Ishaaya, E., & Tapson, V. F. (2020). Advances in the diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism. F1000Research, 9, 44. 

Kaptein, F., Kroft, L., Hammerschlag, G., Ninaber, M., Bauer, M., Huisman, M., & Klok, F. (2021). Pulmonary infarction in acute pulmonary embolism. Thrombosis Research, 202, 162-169. 

Lefevre-Scelles, A., Jeanmaire, P., Freund, Y., Joly, L., Phillipon, A., & Roussel, M. (2020). Investigation of pulmonary embolism in patients with chest pain in the emergency department: A retrospective multicenter study. European Journal of Emergency Medicine, 27(5), 357-361. 

Moonesinghe, R., Yang, Q., Zhang, Z., & Khoury, M. J. (2019). Prevalence and cardiovascular health impact of family history of premature heart disease in the United States: Analysis of the national health and nutrition examination survey, 2007–2014. Journal of the American Heart Association, 8(14). 

Zilbermint, M., Gaye, A., Berthon, A., Hannah-Shmouni, F., Faucz, F., Minority, H. N., Davis, A., Gibbons, G., Lodish, M., & Stratakis, C. (2018). ARMC5 variants and risk of hypertension in African Americans: Minority Health-GRID study. Endocrine Abstracts. 

Zilbermint, M., Gaye, A., Berthon, A., Hannah‐Shmouni, F., Faucz, F. R., Lodish, M. B., Davis, A. R., Gibbons, G. H., & Stratakis, C. A. (2019). ARMC5 variants and risk of hypertension in blacks: MH‐GRID study. Journal of the American Heart Association, 8(14).