These tiny air-filled sacs are the body's primary sites of oxygen and carbon dioxide gas exchange the gases move across the alveolar capillary membrane with oxygen moving from the alveolar sacs into the blood and carbon dioxide moving from the blood into the alveolar sacs to be exhaled.This allows for a consistent oxygen supply to carry out bodily functions and to maintain the proper blood ph level.
Now the influenza virus invades the respiratory tract and uses it to spread the infection the flu is typically transmitted from person to person via respiratory droplets or in some instances aerosolized particles that are expelled from the respiratory tract of an infected individual these droplets can be propelled a few feet into the air when talking coughing or sneezing and can then land in the eyes nose or mouths of people nearby or get inhaled into the lungs less frequently the virus is transmitted indirectly when an individual touches a contaminated surface and then prior to washing their hands they touch their eyes nose or mouth. Individuals are most likely to spread the virus to others one day before symptom onset until about five to seven days after becoming sick so people are at increased risk for contracting the virus if they have close contact with infected individuals or are in small spaces with large groups of people during flu season especially if they're not vaccinated against influenza.Common places where the influenza virus spreads include schools ,workplaces,nursing homes or on public transportation.
Now after a person contracts the influenza virus these infectious little pathogens typically multiply and spread throughout the cells lining the upper respiratory tract in response to this the immune system launches an inflammatory response which results in visible tracheobronchial redness and swelling as well as mucus discharge as these cells start to produce more mucus that can help trap and eventually expel these pathogens .in certain cases the disease can become more severe and spread to nearby areas leading to complications like a sinus or ear infection if the virus manages to invade the lower respiratory tract patients can potentially develop pneumonia characterized by fluid or pus buildup in the lungs in addition the disease may weaken the immune system, making the individual more susceptible to contracting a secondary bacterial infection.
patients at higher risk of developing complications include children under five years of age and adults over 65 as well as patients who are pregnant or have a chronic heart or lung disease.typically the flu manifests as symptoms that present about four days after exposure and last about a week. common symptoms:
symptoms include headaches, fever, chills, fatigue ,weakness and muscle ache patients may also experience a runny nose with watery nasal discharge, a sore throat and a cough upon auscultating the lungs. breath sounds are typically normal.
now in addition to the other symptoms influenza b can also lead to gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea ,vomiting and diarrhea.Most of these symptoms get better in a week but the cough often persists for up to two weeks and patients with comorbid conditions or over 65 may have continuing lethargy or weakness for weeks after the flu.
influenza is typically diagnosed based on the patient's history, physical assessment and knowing there's an influenza outbreak in the community around the time of symptom onset. Diagnostic tests: There are three diagnostic tests available to detect the presence of influenza in a patient's respiratory secretions,rtpcr rapid molecular assay and rapid influenza diagnostic tests or ridts for short rt-pcr and rapid molecular assays can detect viral rna and are more accurate.
since they have a high sensitivity and specificity and can differentiate between influenza a and b, on the other hand ri dts detect viral antigens and some ri dts are able to differentiate between type a and b these rapid tests have a lower sensitivity and specificity but they provide faster results within minutes, so they are more commonly used to diagnose influenza.
Treatment of influenza: There's no cure for influenza usually treatment for influenza involves supportive care to reduce the symptoms.This includes rest and hydration as well as medications like analgesics,antipyretics and antihistamines.in addition patients may also be treated with antiviral medications such as zenamovir, oseltamivir and paramavir.These medications can help prevent the release of virus from infected cells minimizing its spread and reducing the duration of the disease.
Antivirals should be started as soon as possible for patients who are at high risk of developing complications as well as for those with severe or complicated disease and for hospitalized patients .Finally the most effective way to prevent influenza is through vaccination. All right let's look at the nursing care you'll provide for a patient with influenza for most patients with mild symptoms the disease is self-limiting so the goal of nursing care is to improve ventilation and oxygenation and to provide supportive care. first you should regularly assess their respiratory status and breath sounds and monitor their oxygenation and temperature be sure they receive adequate rest and hydration.
you can encourage them to take deep breaths to improve oxygenation and cough to help clear the airways. However if your patient presents with worsening fever ,altered mental status,dyspnea diffuse crackles on chest auscultation or oxygen saturation dropping below 94,you need to notify the healthcare provider immediately as these are indications that the disease is worsening or a complication has developed.
Precautionary measures: let's move on to patient and family teaching.teach your patient that they can reduce the risk of spreading the flu to others by covering their mouth and nose with a tissue when sneezing or coughing then .dispose of the tissue right away .After that they need to wash their hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water .let them know that they should also wash their hands when they blow their nose,rub their eyes or touch their face,finally advise your patient to rest at home and avoid close contact with others as much as possible.next teach your patient and their household members about prevention some basic ways include avoiding close contact with people who are sick .regularly cleaning surfaces like doorknobs and countertops and frequent hand washing however the most important prevention is the annual influenza vaccine .Be sure they understand that although vaccination doesn't guarantee prevention.it will reduce their chances of getting the disease as well as the severity of their symptoms. Anyone over six months of age can get the vaccination but it's especially important if your patient is over 50 years old has a chronic illness is immune compromised works as a health care provider is the caregiver of someone with a severe chronic illness or lives in an institution like a nursing home,since the virus strain will change from year to year so does the annual flu vaccine so reinforce the importance of getting vaccinated every year.the best time to get the vaccine is september or october before the flu season starts.
Contraindications: lastly go over the contraindications of the annual influenza vaccine with your patient and let them know that they should not get it if they've had previous allergic reactions to the vaccine also if they've had hypersensitivity reactions to egg products .They should consult their healthcare provider before vaccination . A quick recap:
influenza or the flu is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by influenza virus types a b or c the flu season spans from september to april and the virus strain causing the flu changes from year to year.the virus is typically spread through aerosolized respiratory particles that enter the body through the respiratory tract where they multiply and cause inflammation. common symptoms include fever, sore throat, cough, runny nose ,muscle aches and headaches. influenza is typically diagnosed based on history and physical assessment .Additional diagnostic tests include rt-pcr rapid molecular assay and ridts treatment involves supportive care and medications like analgesics, antipyretics and antihistamines as well as antiviral medications in certain cases while prevention involves vaccination,nursing care includes monitoring the patient's breath sounds respiratory status and oxygenation while providing supportive care client and family education is focused on how to limit the spread of the virus and prevent future infections, helping current and future clinicians
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