Assignment 1: Gastrointestinal Tract: Disorders of Motility Jamie is a 3-month-old female who presents with her mother for evaluation of “throwing up.” Mom reports that Jamie has been throwing up pretty much all the time since she was born. Jamie does not seem to be sick. In fact, she drinks her formula vigorously and often acts hungry. Jamie has normal soft brown bowel movements every day and, overall, seems like a happy and contented baby. She smiles readily and does not cry often. Other than the fact that she often throws up after drinking a bottle, she seems to be a very healthy, happy infant. A more precise history suggests that Jamie does not exactly throw up—she does not heave or act unwell—but rather it just seems that almost every time she drinks a bottle she regurgitates a milky substance. Mom thought that she might be allergic to her formula and switched her to a hypoallergenic formula. It didn’t appear to help at all, and now Mom is very concerned. Cases like these are not uncommon. The mother was concerned and thinking her daughter may have an allergy; she changed to a different formula. However, sometimes babies have immature GI tracts that can lead to physiology reflux as they adapt to normal life outside the uterus. Parents often do not consider this possibility, prompting them to change formulas rather than seeking medical care. As in the case study above, GI alterations can often be difficult to identify because many cause similar symptoms. This same issue also arises with adults—adults may present with symptoms that have various potential causes. When evaluating patients, it is important for the advanced practice nurse to know the types of questions he or she needs to ask to obtain the appropriate information for diagnosis. For this reason, you must have an understanding of common GI disorders such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), peptic ulcer disease (PUD), and gastritis. To Prepare · Review this week’s media presentation on the gastrointestinal system. · Review Chapter 35 in the Huether and McCance text. Identify the normal pathophysiology of gastric acid stimulation and production. · Review Chapter 37 in the Huether and McCance text. Consider the pathophysiology of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), peptic ulcer disease (PUD), and gastritis. Think about how these disorders are similar and different. · Select a patient factor different from the one you selected in this week’s Discussion: genetics, gender, ethnicity, age, or behavior. Consider how the factor you selected might impact the pathophysiology of GERD, PUD, and gastritis. Reflect on how you would diagnose and prescribe treatment of these disorders for a patient based on this factor. · Review the “Mind Maps—Dementia, Endocarditis, and Gastro-oesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)” media in the Week 2 Learning Resources. Use the examples in the media as a guide to construct a mind map for gastritis. Consider the epidemiology and clinical presentat.

1. Assignment 1: Gastrointestinal Tract: Disorders of Motility
Jamie is a 3-month-old female who presents with her mother for
evaluation of “throwing up.” Mom reports that Jamie has been
throwing up pretty much all the time since she was born. Jamie
does not seem to be sick. In fact, she drinks her formula
vigorously and often acts hungry. Jamie has normal soft brown
bowel movements every day and, overall, seems like a happy
and contented baby. She smiles readily and does not cry often.
Other than the fact that she often throws up after drinking a
bottle, she seems to be a very healthy, happy infant. A more
precise history suggests that Jamie does not exactly throw up—
she does not heave or act unwell—but rather it just seems that
almost every time she drinks a bottle she regurgitates a milky
substance. Mom thought that she might be allergic to her
formula and switched her to a hypoallergenic formula. It didn’t
appear to help at all, and now Mom is very concerned.
Cases like these are not uncommon. The mother was concerned
and thinking her daughter may have an allergy; she changed to a
different formula. However, sometimes babies have immature
GI tracts that can lead to physiology reflux as they adapt to
normal life outside the uterus. Parents often do not consider this
possibility, prompting them to change formulas rather than
seeking medical care. As in the case study above, GI alterations
can often be difficult to identify because many cause similar
symptoms. This same issue also arises with adults—adults may
present with symptoms that have various potential causes. When
evaluating patients, it is important for the advanced practice
nurse to know the types of questions he or she needs to ask to
obtain the appropriate information for diagnosis. For this
reason, you must have an understanding of common GI
disorders such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD),

2. peptic ulcer disease (PUD), and gastritis.
To Prepare
· Review this week’s media presentation on the gastrointestinal
system.
· Review Chapter 35 in the Huether and McCance text. Identify
the normal pathophysiology of gastric acid stimulation and
production.
· Review Chapter 37 in the Huether and McCance text. Consider
the pathophysiology of gastroesophageal reflux disease
(GERD), peptic ulcer disease (PUD), and gastritis. Think about
how these disorders are similar and different.
· Select a patient factor different from the one you selected in
this week’s Discussion: genetics, gender, ethnicity, age, or
behavior. Consider how the factor you selected might impact the
pathophysiology of GERD, PUD, and gastritis. Reflect on how
you would diagnose and prescribe treatment of these disorders
for a patient based on this factor.
· Review the “Mind Maps—Dementia, Endocarditis, and Gastro-
oesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)” media in the Week 2
Learning Resources. Use the examples in the media as a guide
to construct a mind map for gastritis. Consider the
epidemiology and clinical presentation of gastritis.
To Complete
Write a 2- to 3-page paper that addresses the following:
· Describe the normal pathophysiology of gastric acid
stimulation and production. Explain the changes that occur to
gastric acid stimulation and production with GERD, PUD, and

3. gastritis disorders.
· Explain how the factor you selected might impact the
pathophysiology of GERD, PUD, and gastritis. Describe how
you would diagnose and prescribe treatment of these disorders
for a patient based on the factor you selected.
· Construct a mind map for gastritis. Include the epidemiology,
pathophysiology, and clinical presentation, as well as the
diagnosis and treatment you explained in your paper.
Assignment 2: The Pathophysiology of Disorders
During the last 5 weeks, you have explored various body
systems: neurological, cardiovascular, respiratory, and
hematological. These four systems work together along with
other body systems to complete a myriad of functions. For this
reason, when disorders occur within one body system, it can
create potentially devastating effects throughout the entire
body. For instance, Parkinson’s disease is a disorder of the
central nervous system, yet its alterations actually affect
multiple body systems from the cardiovascular system to the
gastrointestinal system. In this Assignment, you examine
alterations associated with disorders, as well as the impact of
the alterations on multiple body systems.
To Prepare
· From the list below, select a disorder of interest to you:
o Alzheimer’s disease
o Asthma in children

4. o Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
o Congestive heart failure
o Hepatic disease (liver disease)
o Hypertension
o Hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism
o Seizures
o Sepsis
· Identify alterations associated with your selected disorder.
Consider the pathophysiology of the alterations. Think about
how these alterations produce pathophysiological changes in at
least two body systems.
· Reflect on how patient factors such as genetics, gender,
ethnicity, age, and behavior might impact the pathophysiology
of the alterations you identified, as well as the diagnosis and
treatment of your selected disorder.
· Review the “Mind maps—Dementia, Endocarditis, and Gastro-
oesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)” media in the Week 2
Learning Resources. Use the examples in the media as a guide
to construct a mind map for the disorder you selected. Consider
the epidemiology and clinical presentation of your selected
disorder.
To Complete
Develop a 5- to 10-slide PowerPoint presentation that addresses
the following:

5. · Describe your selected disorder, as well as associated
alterations. Explain the pathophysiology of the alterations,
including changes that occur in at least two body systems.
· Explain how genetics, gender, ethnicity, age, and behavior
might impact the pathophysiology of the alterations you
identified, as well as diagnosis and treatment of your selected
disorder.
· Construct a mind map for the disorder you selected. Include
the epidemiology, pathophysiology of alterations, risk factors,
and clinical presentation, as well as the diagnosis and treatment
of the disorder.
Use resources below
Huether, S. E., & McCance, K. L. (2017).
Understanding pathophysiology
(6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby.
Chapter 35, “Structure and Function of the Digestive
System”
This chapter provides information relating to the structure and
function of the digestive system. It covers the gastrointestinal
tract and accessory organs of digestion.
Chapter 36, “Alterations of Digestive Function”
This chapter presents information relating to disorders of the
gastrointestinal tract and accessory organs of digestion. It also
covers the pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, evaluation, and

6. treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease, gastritis, peptic
ulcer disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and irritable bowel
syndrome.
Chapter 37, “Alterations of Digestive Function in Children”
This chapter presents information relating to disorders of the
gastrointestinal tract and liver that affect children. It focuses on
congenital impairment, inflammatory disorders, metabolic
disorders, as well as the impairment of digestion, absorption,
and nutrition.
Hammer, G. D., & McPhee, S. J. (2019).
Pathophysiology of disease: An introduction to clinical
medicine
(8th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
Chapter 13, “Gastrointestinal Disease”
This chapter provides a foundation for exploring
gastrointestinal disorders by reviewing the structure and
function of the GI tract. It also describes mechanisms of
regulation of GI tract disorders such as acid-peptic disease,
inflammatory bowel disease, and irritable bowel syndrome.
Chapter 14, “Liver Disease”
This chapter reviews the structure and function of the liver. It
then explores the clinical presentation, etiology, pathogenesis,
pathology, and clinical manifestations of three liver disorders:

7. acute hepatitis, chronic hepatitis, and cirrhosis.
Chapter 15, “Disorders of the Exocrine Pancreas”
This chapter begins by reviewing the anatomy, histology, and
physiology of the exocrine pancreas. It then examines the
clinical presentation, etiology, pathology, pathogenesis, and
clinical manifestations of acute and chronic pancreatitis,
pancreatic insufficiency, and pancreatic cancer.
de Bortoli, N., Martinucci, I., Bellini, M., Savarino, E.,
Savarino, V., Blandizzi, C., & Marchi, S. (2013). Overlap of
functional heartburn and gastroesophageal reflux disease with
irritable bowel syndrome.
World Journal of Gastroenterology
, 19(35), 5787-5797. doi:10.3748/wjg.v19.i35.5787