Discussion: Respiratory Alterations In clinical settings, patients often present with various respiratory symptoms such as congestion, coughing, and wheezing. While identifying a symptom’s underlying illness can be challenging, it is essential because even basic symptoms such as persistent coughing can be a sign of a more severe disorder. Advanced practice nurses must be able to differentiate between moderate and severe respiratory disorders, as well as properly diagnose and prescribe treatment for their patients. For this reason, you must have an understanding of the pathophysiology of respiratory disorders. Consider the following three scenarios: Scenario 1: Ms. Teel brings in her 7-month-old infant for evaluation. She is afraid that the baby might have respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) because she seems to be coughing a lot, and Ms. Teel heard that RSV is a common condition for infants. A detailed patient history reveals that the infant has been coughing consistently for several months. It’s never seemed all that bad. Ms. Teel thought it was just a normal thing, but then she read about RSV. Closer evaluation indicates that the infant coughs mostly at night; and, in fact, most nights the baby coughs to some extent. Additionally, Ms. Teel confirms that the infant seems to cough more when she cries. Physical examination reveals an apparently healthy age- and weight-appropriate, 7-month-old infant with breath sounds that are clear to auscultation. The infant’s medical history is significant only for eczema that was actually quite bad a few months back. Otherwise, the only remarkable history is an allergic reaction to amoxicillin that she experienced 3 months ago when she had an ear infection. Scenario 2: Kevin is a 6-year-old boy who is brought in for evaluation by his parents. The parents are concerned that he has a really deep cough that he just can’t seem to get over. The history reveals that he was in his usual state of good health until approximately 1 week ago when he developed a profound cough. His parents say that it is deep and sounds like he is barking. He coughs so hard that sometimes he actually vomits. The cough is productive for mucus, but there is no blood in it. Kevin has had a low-grade temperature but nothing really high. His parents do not have a thermometer and don’t know for sure how high it got. His past medical history is negative. He has never had childhood asthma or RSV. His mother says that they moved around a lot in his first 2 years and she is not sure that his immunizations are up to date. She does not have a current vaccination record. Scenario 3: Maria is a 36-year-old who presents for evaluation of a cough. She is normally a healthy young lady with no significant medical history. She takes no medications and does not smoke. She reports that she was in her usual state of good health until approximately 3 weeks ago when she developed a “really bad cold.” The cold is characterized by a profound, deep, mucus-produci.

1. Discussion: Respiratory Alterations
In clinical settings, patients often present with various
respiratory symptoms such as congestion, coughing, and
wheezing. While identifying a symptom’s underlying illness can
be challenging, it is essential because even basic symptoms
such as persistent coughing can be a sign of a more severe
disorder. Advanced practice nurses must be able to differentiate
between moderate and severe respiratory disorders, as well as
properly diagnose and prescribe treatment for their patients. For
this reason, you must have an understanding of the
pathophysiology of respiratory disorders.
Consider the following three scenarios:
Scenario 1:
Ms. Teel brings in her 7-month-old infant for evaluation. She is
afraid that the baby might have respiratory syncytial virus
(RSV) because she seems to be coughing a lot, and Ms. Teel
heard that RSV is a common condition for infants. A detailed
patient history reveals that the infant has been coughing
consistently for several months. It’s never seemed all that bad.
Ms. Teel thought it was just a normal thing, but then she read
about RSV. Closer evaluation indicates that the infant coughs
mostly at night; and, in fact, most nights the baby coughs to
some extent. Additionally, Ms. Teel confirms that the infant
seems to cough more when she cries. Physical examination
reveals an apparently healthy age- and weight-appropriate, 7-
month-old infant with breath sounds that are clear to
auscultation. The infant’s medical history is significant only for
eczema that was actually quite bad a few months back.
Otherwise, the only remarkable history is an allergic reaction to
amoxicillin that she experienced 3 months ago when she had an
ear infection.
Scenario 2:
Kevin is a 6-year-old boy who is brought in for evaluation by
his parents. The parents are concerned that he has a really deep
cough that he just can’t seem to get over. The history reveals

2. that he was in his usual state of good health until approximately
1 week ago when he developed a profound cough. His parents
say that it is deep and sounds like he is barking. He coughs so
hard that sometimes he actually vomits. The cough is productive
for mucus, but there is no blood in it. Kevin has had a low-
grade temperature but nothing really high. His parents do not
have a thermometer and don’t know for sure how high it got.
His past medical history is negative. He has never had
childhood asthma or RSV. His mother says that they moved
around a lot in his first 2 years and she is not sure that his
immunizations are up to date. She does not have a current
vaccination record.
Scenario 3:
Maria is a 36-year-old who presents for evaluation of a cough.
She is normally a healthy young lady with no significant
medical history. She takes no medications and does not smoke.
She reports that she was in her usual state of good health until
approximately 3 weeks ago when she developed a “really bad
cold.” The cold is characterized by a profound, deep, mucus-
producing cough. She denies any rhinorrhea or rhinitis—the
primary problem is the cough. She develops these coughing fits
that are prolonged, very deep, and productive of a lot of green
sputum. She hasn’t had any fever but does have a scratchy
throat. Maria has tried over-the-counter cough medicines but
has not had much relief. The cough keeps her awake at night
and sometimes gets so bad that she gags and dry heaves.
To Prepare
Review the three scenarios, as well as Chapter 26 and Chapter
27 in the Huether and McCance text.
Select one of the scenarios and consider the respiratory disorder
and underlying alteration associated with the type of cough
described.
Identify the pathophysiology of the alteration that you
associated with the cough.
Select two of the following factors: genetics, gender, ethnicity,
age, or behavior. Reflect on how the factors you selected might

3. impact the disorder.
By Day 3
Post
a description of the disorder and underlying respiratory
alteration associated with the type of cough in your selected
scenario. Then, explain the pathophysiology of the respiratory
alteration. Finally, explain how the factors you selected might
impact the disorder.
Read
a selection of your colleagues’ responses.
By Day 6
Respond
to at least
two
of your colleagues
on two different days
who selected a different scenario than you, in one or more of
the following ways:
Share insights on how the factor you selected impacts the
disorder your colleague identified.
Ask a probing question regarding the disorder that your
colleague identified.
Suggest an alternative disorder for the scenario your colleague
selected.