Question

what measures should the nurse use to manage the patient's dyspnea

Answer 1

Dyspnea.

It is the condition in which the patient feels the shortness of breath or struggle to get a breath, an unpleasant experience patient feels in order to get a breath of air into the lungs to perform normal breathing cycle.

The feeling of not able to breathe or shortness of breath is termed as DYSPNEA.

A PATIENT EXPLAINS HOW HE FEELS THE SHORTNESS OF BREATH IN VARIOUS WAYS, SUCH AS,

1. He will say that he is suffocating.

2. Feeling of tightness near the chest.

3. He may say that it's the last breath he is taking.

4. He will say that why he is not able to get the air in.

SOME CAUSES OR THE REASONS OF SHORTNESS OF BREATH OR THE DYSPNEA.

1. Obstruction in the airway.

2. The entry of foreign particles.

3. Due to some underlying cardiac diseases such as heart failure or myocardial ischemia.

4. Due to some neurological issues such as worry, anxiety etc.

On a sudden, if DYSNEA occurs it may be due to some cardiac problems, embolism in the lungs, or asthma.

It may be connected with some chronic illness such as COPD, prolonged heart diseases, cancer in the lungs and the lung tissues, etc.

It is very important to diagnose the main cause of DYSPNEA and should be treated accordingly.

Nursing management of DYSNEA.

Nurses are the important member in the healthcare settings, they interact with the patient more than any other healthcare provider, it is very important for the nurse to establish a therapeutic relationship in between the nurse and the patient to gain the confidence of the client.

gaining the trust by the patient helps the nurse to treat him in a systematic way, maintaining the therapeutic nurse-patient relationship plays a very important role in managing patient with shortness of breath or Dyspnea, it will allow the nurse to examine the patient in a systematic manner and help the nurse to manage the patient's breath.

a nurse may ask the following question to the patient suffering from shortness of breath.

1. What stimulates his breathlessness.

2. What he does to manage his breathing difficulties.

3. Does he have any medical history?

4. Does he take medications or earlier if he was on medication?

5. Does he smoke?.

The Nurse will manage the dyspneic patt by.

1) keeping an eye on him.

Observation is the best way to record patients condition.

It includes the observation such as discolouration of the skin or the change in colour of the skin and the lips around various body parts.

It's important for the nurse to monitor and report the client's condition to the assigned physician.

2. Provide psychological support to the client.

Dyspnea is the condition in which patient feels more anxious and that can make his or her situation worse, it's very important for the nurse to provide psychological support to the patient, the nurse should calm the patient and instruct him to take breaks slowly without stressing his muscles.

The nurse should ensure the ventilation of the room and should tell the client not to focus on Dyspnea, diverting minds from Dyspnea may help in overcome from breathlessness.

3. Communicate with the client in a precise manner.

A nurse should encourage the patient to talk slowly and talk in sign languages, or if patients condition get worse on talking allow him to communicate by writing on a paper, this practice will reduce stress.

And also the nurse should allow the client to communicate via lip movement.

4. Placement of the client.

Unusual posture or the position of the patient may worsen the condition, it's important to make the patient sit or lean in such a way so that maximum function of respiration can be achieved without being physically distressed.

Few positions like putting pillows on the back of the client or raising the foot end of the bed may help in achieving normal breathing.

allow the client to walk only in the position in which he is comfortable, taking the support of the wall or the crutches helps to maintain a normal breathing cycle.

5. Respiratory exercises.

Performing respiratory exercises helps in alleviate the patient's condition and allow the patient to expand his lungs to facilitate normal breathing pattern.

6. Clearance of sputum.

Allow the client to cough and remove the expectorant, removal of expectorant improve the breathing of the client and also make sure the sputum mug is clean, as it may cause another infection with cross-contamination.

7. Overall hygiene and oral hygiene of the client.

Improving body image by giving a bath or by cleaning the mouth of the patient on a regular basis will help the client to get confidence and improve the condition.

Due to the effect of medication, there are chances that patient may get mouth infection, to prevent from further infection it is important to provide oral hygiene to the patient on a regular basis also maintained fluid intake.

8. Food and fluids.

Due to dyspnea patient may not feel like eating or drinking, it is very important to prevent patients from being malnourished and dehydrated, encourage patient to take fluid and also take small and frequent diet to prevent himself from malnourishment.

9. Pharmacological management.

Dyspnea can be alleviated by taking medications such as corticosteroids, oxygen etc.

1. Supply of oxygen.

Oxygen is considered a drug, oxygen therapy is prescribed to the patient with dyspnea also it is very important to humidify the oxygen before administration,

The nurse should know the settings of oxygen flow through various nasal cannula, and administer only the prescribed dose of oxygen to the patient to prevent any complications.

2. Medicines such as corticosteroids.

corticosteroids at the drug given in respiratory distress, corticosteroids smoothen the muscles of trachea and lungs and allow a patent passage of air into it.

10. Rehabilitation of the patient with chronic dyspnea.

If Dyspnea persists for a longer period of time, it is important for the nurse to rehabilitate the client on a regular basis and teach the client various breathing exercises to alleviate his condition when needed.