BSC 2346 Module 06 Case Study: Respiratory and Digestive Systems (GRADED A)

Module 06 Case Study:Respiratory and DigestiveSystemsEach question is worth 1 point, unless otherwise noted.Driving Can Be Dangerous To Your Health:Part I—"TheGrandparents Arrive" Questions 1.What factors can trigger an asthmatic episode and what do you thinktriggered the asthmatic episode in this case?An Asthmatic episode can be triggered by a numerous amount of things likeairway edema, bronchospasms, which could prevent air from entering thelungs.Also if excessive secretions of mucus occur this could contribute toairway occlusion.An attack may be triggered by environmental factors suchas dust, pollen, pet hair, or dander, changes in the weather, mold, tobaccosmoke, and respiratory infections, or by exercise and stress [Ope134].What triggered Barbara's asthma attack was the dusty old bear that Davefound in one of the yucky boxes that his mother gave to him.Which is statedabove, that dust can be one of the leading causes of an asthma attack. This iswhat caused her such problems. 2.Compare and contrast the anatomy of the trachea and bronchi/bronchioles.Which one is more likely to collapse?The trachea (windpipe) extends from the larynx toward the lungs.It'sformed by 16 to 20 stacked, C-shaped pieces of hyaline cartilage that areconnected by dense connective tissue.The cartilage rings provide structuralsupport to prevent collapsing [Ope131].The bronchi also have similar structure to the trachea, with rings ofcartilage, similar to those of the trachea, support the structure of the bronchiand prevent their collapse, Bronchioles, which are about 1 mm in diameter,contain no cartilage like those of the bronchi, the walls are lined with muscleinstead. [Col13]. 3.Why is air-flow restricted during an asthmatic episode and why is wheezingusually worse when asthmatics exhale? Air-flow is restricted during an asthmatic episode causing difficulty inbreathing as your airways become inflamed and constricted.Mucus can fillthese narrowed passages, worsening the airway constriction.Difficultybreathing can lead to feelings of anxiety, which can then make breathing evenmore difficult.Also, as the muscles surrounding your airways constrict, yourchest may tighten. Chest tightness can make it difficult to breathe and lead tofeelings of anxiety.Wheezing is a whistling sound that usually occurs whenyou exhale. It results from air being forced through narrow, constricted airpassages [Tim15].Driving Can Be Dangerous To Your Health:Part II—"ThatNight?" Questions1.Do you think that this episode is simply a bad asthmatic attack?What couldhave brought on this episode?Due to the symptoms that she is displaying I would say it's a severe asthmaattack.Since they did just travel through several states (in 1 day) going from Floridato New Jersey.This episode could have been further aggravated by thechange in climate. Imagine the number of allergens that she was exposed tonot to mention her cat who is used to sleeping with her as well.She could besensitive to cat dander and not even realize it.2.What symptoms indicate that there may be something else wrong withBarbara?What possible other medical conditions could Barbara be sufferingfrom?There were a couple symptoms mentioned that made me wonder if she maybe having a heart attack.For example, the elevated heart rate (not quitetachycardia, but almost), the radiating pain down the left arm, and the changein the skin color usually in an asthmatic if there is a change in their skin coloris to a clue or gray showing signs of cyanosis not "Pale" as noted in the text.Barbara could possibly be suffering from a respiratory disease like COPDsince she has battled with asthma for so long.This could be the cause ofsome of her conditions.3.With the above symptoms in mind, do you wish to speculate about Barbara'scondition?My speculation about Barbara's condition would be a myocardial infarctionalso known as a Heart Attack