Signs and Symptoms: Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Signs and Symptoms: Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Signs and Symptoms: Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Acute respiratory distress syndrome, commonly called ARDS, is a sudden failure of the respiratory
system that occurs when fluid builds up in the tiny, elastic air sacs in your lungs. In a short time,
breathing becomes difficult, depriving your organs of the oxygen they need to function.
ARDS usually occurs in people who are already critically ill or who have significant injuries. Severe
shortness of breath — the main symptom of ARDS — usually develops within a few hours to a few
days after the original disease or trauma.
Causes
Fractures of long bones, such as the femur, which can release fat particles that are
carried through your bloodstream to your lungs (fat embolism)
Smoke inhalation
Risk factors
Complications
Pulmonary fibrosis.
Bacterial infections.
Diagnostic tests
Chest X-ray
Heart tests to rule out heart problems that can cause fluid to build up in your lungs.
Interventions
Asthma
chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways that causes varying degrees of obstruction
in the airways.
Marked by the airways inflammation and hyperresponsivenes to a variety of stimuli
Status asthmaticus is a severe life threatening asthma episode that os refractory to
treatment and may result pneumothorax, acute or cor pulmonale or respiratory arrest
Restlessness
Wheezing or crackles
Absent or diminished lung sounds
Hyperresonance
Use of accessory muscle for breathing
Tachypnea with hyperventilation
Prolonged exhalation
Tachycardia
Cyanosis
Diaphoresis
Pulsus paradoxus
Decreased oxygen saturation
Decreased airflow rates
Causes
Airborne allergens, such as pollen, animal dander, mold, cockroaches and dust mites
Cold air
Certain medications, including beta blockers, aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-
inflammatory drugs
Risk factors
Having an allergic condition, such as atopic dermatitis or allergic rhinitis (hay fever)
Being overweight
Being a smoker
Complications
Permanent narrowing of the bronchial tubes (airway remodeling) that affects how well
you can breathe
Interventions
Monitor vital signs
Monitor pulse oximetry
Monitor peak flow
Position the client in semi fowler’s position during acute attacks.
Administer oxygen as prescribed
Stay with the client to decrease anxiety
Administer bronchodilators as prescribed
Record the color, amount, and consistency of the sputum, if any
Administer corticosteroid as prescribed
Auscultate lung sounds before, during and after treatment
Atelectasis
Symptoms
Cough
Causes
Mucus plug. .
Foreign body.
Blood clot.
Injury.
Pleural effusion.
Pneumonia.
Pneumothorax.
Risk factors
Any condition that interferes with spontaneous coughing, yawning and sighing
Respiratory muscle weakness, due to muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injury or another
neuromuscular condition
Obesity, which can elevate your diaphragm and hamper your ability to inhale fully
Intervention
Medications :
Acetylcysteine (Acetadote, Mucomyst), which thins mucus and makes it easier to cough
up.
DNase (Dornase Alfa), which is used to clear mucus plugs in children with cystic fibrosis
and is gaining acceptance as a treatment for atelectasis for people without cystic fibrosis.
Clapping (percussion) on your chest over the collapsed area to loosen mucus
Positioning your body so your head is lower than your chest (called postural drainage),
which allows mucus to drain better
Bronchitis
Bronchitis is an inflammation of the lining of your bronchial tubes, which carry air to and from
your lungs. Bronchitis may be either acute or chronic.
A common condition, acute bronchitis often develops from a cold or other respiratory infection.
Chronic bronchitis, a more serious condition, is a constant irritation or inflammation of the lining
of the bronchial tubes, often due to smoking.
Symptoms
Cough
Wheezing
Fatigue
Chest discomfort
Risk factors
Cigarette smoke.
Low resistance.
Complications
Chronic bronchitis
Asthma
Rest
Drinking fluids
Medications
In some circumstances, your doctor may prescribe medications:
Cough medicine. It's best not to suppress a cough that brings up mucus, because
coughing helps remove irritants from your lungs and air passages. If your cough keeps you from
sleeping, use enough OTC cough medicine so that you can rest, but not enough to suppress your
cough completely. If your cough is seriously depriving you of sleep, your doctor may recommend
a prescription cough suppressant.
Intervention
Rest
Drinking fluids
Medications
Antibiotics and Cough medicine.
Emphysema
As it worsens, emphysema turns the spherical air sacs — clustered like bunches of grapes — into
large, irregular pockets with gaping holes in their inner walls. This reduces the number of air
sacs and keeps some of the oxygen entering your lungs from reaching your bloodstream. In
addition, the elastic fibers that hold open the small airways leading to the air sacs are slowly
destroyed, so that they collapse when you breathe out, not letting the air in your lungs escape.
Symptoms
Emphysema symptoms are mild to begin with but steadily get worse as the disease progresses.
The main emphysema symptoms are:
Shortness of breath
Wheezing
Chest tightness
Fatigue
Causes
Smoking.
Protein deficiency
Risk fators
Smoking.
Age.
HIV infection.
Pulse oximetry.
Chest X-ray.
Sputum examination.
Intervention
Relapse prevention
Place your fingertips on your abdomen, just below the base of your rib cage.
Practice pushing your abdomen against your hand as your chest becomes filled with air.
Pursed-lip breathing
Deep-breathing exercise.
Stop smoking.
Exercise regularly.
Other medications
Bronchodilators.
Inhaled steroids.
Supplemental oxygen
Antibiotics.
Pulmonary fibrosis
Pulmonary fibrosis is a serious disease that causes progressive scarring of your lung tissue.
The current thinking is that pulmonary fibrosis begins with repeated injury to the tissue within
and between the tiny air sacs (alveoli) in your lungs. The damage eventually leads to scarring
(fibrosis), which stiffens your lungs and makes breathing difficult. The most common symptoms
are shortness of breath and a dry cough.
A dry cough
Fatigue
Causes
Radiation.
Risk factors
Age.
Your sex. In general, men are more likely to have pulmonary fibrosis than women are.
Complications
Respiratory failure.
Diagnostic tests
Chest X-ray.
Oximetry.
Exercise stress test.
Intervention
The lung scarring that occurs in pulmonary fibrosis can't be reversed, and no current
treatment has proved effective in stopping the ultimate progression of the disease. Some
treatments, though, may improve symptoms temporarily or slow the disease's progress.
Others help improve quality of life.
Stop smoking
Exercise regularly.
Eat well.
Get plenty of rest
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammation of your lungs, usually caused by infection. Bacteria, viruses, fungi
or parasites can cause pneumonia. Pneumonia is a particular concern if you're older than 65 or
have a chronic illness or impaired immune system. It can also occur in young, healthy people.
Signs
Fever
Cough
Shortness of breath
Sweating
Shaking chills
Headache
Muscle pain
Fatigue
Causes
Aspiration pneumonia.
Pneumonia caused by opportunistic organisms.
Risk factors
Age.
Certain diseases.
Having COPD and using inhaled corticosteroids for more than 24 weeks.
Ethnicity.
Complications
Lung abscess.
Diagnostic tests
Physical exam.
Chest X-rays.
Intervention
Stay home from school or work until after your temperature returns to normal and you stop
coughing up mucus.
Pneumothorax
A pneumothorax (a term for collapsed lung) occurs when air leaks into the space between your
lungs and chest wall, creating pressure against the lung. Depending on the cause of the
pneumothorax, your lung may only partially collapse, or it may collapse completely.
A pneumothorax can be caused by a chest injury, certain medical procedures involving your
lung, lung disease, or it may occur for no obvious reason.
Signs
Sudden, sharp chest pain on the same side as the affected lung — this pain doesn't occur
in the center of your chest under the breast bone
Shortness of breath, which may be more or less severe, depending on how much of your
lung is collapsed
Risk factors
Your sex. In general, men are far more likely to have a pneumothorax than women
Smoking.
Age.
Lung disease.
A history of pneumothorax.
Complication
Cardiac arrest.
Respiratory failure.
Shock.
Diagnostic tests
Blood tests.
Intervention