NR 507 Wk2- Obstructive Lung Diseases

NR 507 Wk2- Obstructive Lung Diseases

NR 507 Wk2- Obstructive Lung Diseases

Residual volume (RV): the residual volume is the amount of air left in the lungs after a maximum expiratory effort (Van Leeuwen & Bladh, 2015).

Functional reserve capacity (FRC): the functional reserve capacity is the amount of air that is left in the lungs after a normal expiratory effort.  You can figure this up by adding together the reserve volume and expiratory reserve volume (Van Leeuwen & Bladh, 2015).

Total lung capacity (TLC): the total lung capacity is the amount of air the lungs can hold after a maximum inspiratory effort.  You can figure this value by adding the vital capacity and residual volume  (Van Leeuwen & Bladh, 2015).

Inspiratory reserve volume (IRV): the inspiratory reserve volume is the amount of air inhaled at the point of maximum expiration (Van Leeuwen & Bladh, 2015).

Expiratory reserve volume (ERV): the expiratory reserve volume is the amount of air exhaled after a resting expiration.  This value can be figured by subtracting the inspiratory capacity from the vital capacity (Van Leeuwen & Bladh, 2015).

Obstructive lung diseases make it hard for patients to exhale all of the air in their lungs.  This can lead to breathlessness with exertion and tiredness (American Thoracic Society, 2015).   Some examples of obstructive lung diseases are: asthma, cystic fibrosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

COPD is an obstructive lung disease that includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis, or a mixture of them both (American Thoracic Society, 2015).  While cigarette smoking is the primary cause of COPD, environmental factors and genetics can also play a part in the development of the disease (American Thoracic Society, 2015).  COPD can affect the residual volume due to gas trapping within the lungs that leads to hyperinflation.  The hyperinflation is caused by reduced lung recoil and expiratory flow limitation (Gagnon et al., 2014).

Asthma “is a chronic (long-term) lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways. Asthma causes recurring periods of wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and coughing” (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2014, para. 1).  Asthma is another obstructive lung disease that can affect the residual volume within the lungs.  When the airways react to irritants it causes tightening and swelling narrowing the airways, and the cells increase mucus production due to the irritants which further narrows the airways (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2014).  Air can no longer move freely due to the narrowing of the airways, air has to be forced out which causes the wheezing associated with asthma attacks, and air can get trapped within the lungs affective the residual volume.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is, “a fatal, autosomal recessive, multisystem disorder that is characterized by exocrine gland dysfunction” (March & Schub, 2016, para. 1).  CF is another obstructive lung disease that can affect the residual volume within a person’s lungs. “In people who have CF, chloride ions are not well transported across the cell membranes so the mucus becomes extremely dehydrated and sticky.  The abnormally thick mucus obstructs the smaller airways resulting in bronchiolitis and mucopurulent (pus) plugging of the airways. This causes permanent scarring in the lungs” (Alt & Woodworth, 2015, para. 3).  These changes to the lungs and mucus make it difficult to exhale all the air out of the lungs, affecting the residual volume.

NR 507 Wk2- Obstructive Lung Diseases References

Alt, J., & Woodworth, B. A. (2015). Cystic fibrosis. Retrieved from http://care.american-rhinologic.org/cf

American Thoracic Society. (2015). What is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease? Retrieved from https://www.thoracic.org/copd-guidelines/for-patients/what-is-chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-copd.php

Gagnon, P., Guenette, J. A., Langer, D., Laviolette, L., Mainguy, V., Maltais, F., … Saey, D. (2014). Pathogenesis of hyperinflation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, 9, pp.187–201. doi: 10.2147/COPD.S38934

March, P. P., & Schub, T. B. (2016). Cystic Fibrosis. CINAHL Nursing Guide. Retrieved from

http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.chamberlain.edu:8080/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=28b0aae2-9c3b-4162-8176-233b47628ca5%40sessionmgr101&hid=103

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2014). What is asthma? Retrieved from http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/asthma

Van Leeuwen, A., & Bladh, M. (2015). Pulmonary Function Studies. In , Davis’s Comprehensive Handbook of Laboratory & Diagnostic Tests with Nursing Implications, 6th ed (p. 1328). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: F.A. Davis Company.

Kindly navigate to Order Now for a complete and more resourceful answer.