Introduction

The aim of this essay is to explore evidence based nursing intervention in the care and management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in an acutely ill patient. The acutely ill patient involved in this essay was admitted to hospital due to cerebrovascular accident and had a past medical history of myocardial Infarction, left Ventricular failure, peripheral vascular disease and duodenal ulcer as well as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This essay will provide a rationale for the chosen aspect of care (COPD) and reason will be given why it is a priority. In particular the essay will examine the significance of the underlying pathophysiology of the disease relating to the acutely ill patient other …show more content…

Respiratory rate and rhythm changes are early warning signs of impending respiratory difficulties (Brooker et al 2004).
The most well known and reliable method used to diagnosis chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are careful history taking and a thorough physical examination, supported by spirometry (Blackler et al 2007).
Differential investigations should also considered such as simple laboratory tests: a blood cell count to detect anaemia or polycythaemia secondary to chronic hypoxia, a routine chest x-ray examination to exclude alternative diagnosis, lung function test maybe helpful in cases where diagnosis is unclear or where symptoms appear out of proportion to the abnormalities seen on spirometry, sputum microscopy and culture to indicate viral infections and an electrocardiogram to prompt further cardiac investigations in an advanced COPD patient. A minority of patients may have computed tomography (a CT lung scan) of their chest arranged if the diagnosis is uncertain and the chest X-ray shows some concerns (Booker et al 2004).
COPD has no cure so the nurse advised the patient to stop smoking with help of smoking cessation aids include counseling, nicotine replacement patches and various pharmacological therapies which can lead to substantial symptomatic relief and reduction in complications. The doctors