Any topic (writer’s choice)

Choose 1 of the following Discussion Topics and provide your answers using appropriate medical terminology.
1. A woman presents to your hospital complaining of pain in her left lower leg. You notice the area is tender to touch, red, and swollen. She is diagnosed with a deep venous thrombosis (DVT). This is her fourth DVT within 2 months.

A. If the woman asked you why she had had another DVT, what are some explanations you could give her?

B. If the woman was prescribed anticoagulant drug therapy, how might you explain to her the hemostasis mechanism behind this therapy?

2. A patient with chronic bronchitis is brought into the emergency room with complaints of sudden-onset chest pain, shortness of breath, and coughing up blood. His lab work shows hypoxemia, respiratory acidosis, and elevated red blood cell (RBC) count, white blood cell count, hemoglobin, and hematocrit.

A. Utilizing your understanding of the process of erythropoiesis, why do you think this patient has elevated RBCs, hemoglobin, and hematocrit?
B. What is the most likely cause of the patients acute symptoms? How do you explain this?
3.  A 2-year-old girl with sickle cell disease is admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit for acute streptococcal pneumonia and respiratory distress. She has had repeated hospitalizations over the past 6 months for various systemic infections.

A. Her parents want to know what has changed over the past 6 months to cause her to be so susceptible to infection. How would you respond?
B. Why will pneumonia cause increased sickling?
C. What are the primary goals of treatment at this time? What are the rationales behind these goals?