Trudy, a home health respiratory therapist, especially enjoys her older patients, and her Tuesday morning patient is one of her favorites. Jonas Hershel, a 79-year-old former respiratory therapist himself, has been hospitalized over the weekend for extreme difficulty with breathing from emphysema. Jonas' physical examination has noted crackles, clubbing, and DOE. Blood gases reveal hypoxemia and hypercapnia. Jonas' emphysema has now progressed to COPD.
After being stabilized, Jonas has been released to his home with home health care visits. Trudy has treated Jonas in the hospital and is now his home health care professional. Tracking Jonas' breathing capacity using spirometry is part of her duties. However, today Jonas is too tired to sit up; therefore Trudy performs the spirometry while Jonas is reclining.
1. Give another name for crackles and define it.
2. What does spirometry measure?
3. Define emphysema. What is destroyed in emphysema?
4. What do the terms hypoxemia and hypercapnia stand for?
5. What do the abbreviations DOE and COPD stand for? Define and explain.