NURS 6501 Module 1 Assignment Case Study Analysis Case Study Analysis

NURS 6501 Module 1 Assignment Case Study Analysis Case Study Analysis

A 42-year old male comes into the emergency presenting with the following symptoms: a fever of 100.6˚ F, chills and a swollen leg with redness. The patient describes that he was working in his yard when his string trimmer slipped and cut his leg. The patient cleaned the wound with water from his garden hose and covered the wound with a Band-aid. The purpose of this review is to explore why the patient might have the symptoms described, which genes are associated with the development of the disease and provide a description of the immunosuppression process, including its effect on normal body function and systems.

The patient may be presenting the symptoms due to the development of an infection on the cut. An infected cut normally develops after germs get into the sensitive tissue beneath the skin via a damaged area of the skin. An infection may develop at any point between 2-3 days until the cut visibly heals (Healthline.com Editor, 2019). An uninfected cut will normally improve until it is completely healed, whereas an infected cut is likely to become more painful. Moreover, infected cuts usually have red surrounding skin and the patient may feel hot. Additionally, the patient may notice swelling around the infected area and progressed infections usually begin to ooze pus (Healthline.com Editor, 2019). A patient presenting these symptoms is advised to seek immediate medical attention because they demonstrate that the infection has spread. NURS 6501 Module 1 assignment Case Study Analysis

Research has found that the wound healing process is dependent on genetic makeup (Gross, 1996). This is because higher organisms can respond to tissue injury by either wound repair or regeneration (Gross, 1996). Research to identify the genetic loci in the wound closure process found that the traits were contained in chromosomes 8, 12 and 15 as well as two separate locations on the chromosome 13 (McBrearty, Clark, Zhang, Blankenhorn, & Heber-Katz, 1998). On the other hand, genetic control for the healing process was a function of the chromosome 7 (McBrearty, Clark, Zhang, Blankenhorn, & Heber-Katz, 1998). Thus, the mammalian genes controlled the healing and regeneration process in mammals.

Immunosuppression describes the ability to induce a lower level of immune system activation and efficacy (Pellegrino & Mancini, 2016). Immunosuppression may occur as a system function or as an adverse reaction to the treatment of another condition. For instance, immunosuppression may be performed to reduce the body’s possibility for rejecting an organ transplant (Pellegrino & Mancini, 2016). Immunosuppression may also be used to treat conditions where the immune system is overreacting, in the case of allergies and autoimmune diseases such as infections. Immunosuppression from pre-existing diseases such as HIV or ongoing cancer treatment could lead to higher risks of getting an infection from a cut. A weakened immune system is one of the environmental and health risk factors for getting an infection from a cut. Whether an individual is undergoing deliberate immunosuppression due to an organ transplant or are undergoing radiation therapy or non-deliberate immunosuppression due to chronic illness, then an individual is more susceptible to autoimmune diseases such as infections.

In conclusion, the case study has demonstrated that the patient may have experienced an infected cut from his incident during gardening. The infected cut will normally present similar symptoms. Moreover, the genetic aspect of wound healing and regeneration is derived from literature and the influence of immunosuppression on healing responses is also explored. By considering these factors, the healthcare practitioner will be able to diagnose and treat the infection.

References

Gross, J. (1996). Getting to mammalian wound repair and amphibian limb regeneration: a mechanistic link in the early events. Wound repair and regeneration, 4(2), 190-202.

Healthline.com Editor. (2019). How to Identify and Treat an Infected Cut. Retrieved March 6, 2020, from Healthline.com: https://www.healthline.com/health/infected-cut

McBrearty, B. A., Clark, L. D., Zhang, X. M., Blankenhorn, E. P., & Heber-Katz, E. (1998). Genetic analysis of a mammalian wound-healing trait. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 95(20), 11792-11797.

Pellegrino, B., & Mancini, M. C. (2016). Immunosuppression. Retrieved from emedicine.medscape.com: https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/432316-overview NURS 6501 Module 1 assignment Case Study Analysis