Note: Do not immediately attribute chronic nor acute dyspnea to physical deconditioning as this will delay the diagnosis of other important and often, treatable, and potentially serious conditions. How does the dyspnea fit into the patient’s daily activities? Dyspnea needs to be interpreted and quantitated in the context of your patient’s rest, exercise, and sleep.Diagnosis and the plan of care will be predicated on the patient’s symptoms and response to treatment. The patient’s clinical history will help narrow the differential diagnosis. Is it a preexisting condition or a new ailment? With acute dyspnea, consider whether it is related to other acute conditions, such as acute coronary syndrome, acute pulmonary embolism, acute pulmonary aspiration, acute asthma, and acute COPD exacerbation.Lastly, ask if the patient has other symptoms in addition to dyspnea. In addition, take note of current medications, as well as smoking and occupational history. Find out how long the shortness of breath has been occurring (ie, days, weeks, or months). Is dyspnea acute or chronic? Ask the patient if the dyspnea began suddenly or increased in severity recently.Patients will seldom volunteer that they are dyspneic unless it is acute and unrelieved by rest. It is often confused with tachypnea, which is an increase in the respiratory rate above 12 to 16 breaths per minute. 1,2ĭyspnea or shortness of breath is the subjective, uncomfortable awareness of one’s breathing. One of the hallmark symptoms of lung disease, dyspnea has very low specificity, and can occur in isolation or accompany chest pain, cough, and/or hemoptysis. Dyspnea in adults-whether acute (minutes to a few days) or chronic (weeks to months or longer)-is a common diagnostic challenge, forcing the physician to be perceptive to clinical clues.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |