Nursing Assessment of Bronchiolitis in Infants and Young Children

Nursing Assessment
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3

Signs and Symptoms...................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6
INTRODUCTION
Bronchiolitis is a health care condition which involves a virus infects the bronchioles of a
person. The bronchioles are the smallest airways that are present in the lungs. A person who
suffers with the infection, have swollen and inflamed bronchioles (Papenburg and et. al., 2019).
The mucus gets collected in the airways which makes it difficult for the air to flow in and out of
the lungs easily. Bronchiolitis mainly affects young children, making it difficult for them to
breathe easily. The infection can make it difficult for the person to breathe. This report is based
on the case study of a 7 week infant Issy, who has been brought to the emergency department.

Her parents have brought her in as they are concerned about her condition. The report describes
'airway and breathing' of an acutely unwell child in detail.
MAIN BODY
Signs and Symptoms
Bronchiolitis is a viral infection and usually goes away on its own until and unless the
condition is very serious. In the given case, Issy, who is a 7 week old infant has been brought to
the emergency department by her parents. She has been dealing with rhinorrhoea and tachypnoea
since the last three days (Petrarca, Jacinto and Nenna, 2017). Also, she is normally well and has
also receive immunisations for 6 weeks. Issy is diagnosed with a moderate respiratory distress
which is caused by RSV. Some of her vital signs are described below-
Temperature : 38.4 degrees C
Heart Rate : 165 beats per minute
Blood Pressure : 90/50 mm Hg
Respiratory Rate : 55 breaths per minute
SpO2 : 95% on room air
Patients who suffer from bronchiolitis, show various symptoms that include shortness of
breath, fast breathing, cough, fatigue, wheezing, nasal flaring etc. Most children who suffer from
this condition have mild symptoms and take up to 2 to 3 weeks to recover (Rivera-Sepulveda and
et. al., 2019). Therefore, it is important to look out for any signs and symptoms if the patient is
not able to breathe easily. Therefore, it is important to seek medical advice in such a case. The
child is currently in the developmental stage and if her condition is not treated properly, it will
affect her overall health. Assessments that can be undertaken for her condition will include
respiratory rate, temperature, assessing the heart rate and level of respiratory distress.
My patient is a 7 week old baby named Issy who has been carried into the Emergency
Department through her parents at 1000hrs (Giger and Haddad, 2020). The patient was born at
term and had no birth problems. Issy is usually well and has inward her 6 week immunisations.
The symptoms of acute bronchitis in a child are dry or mucus filled cough, vomiting or gagging,
runny nose, often before a cough starts, chest congestion or pain, slight fever and back or muscle
pain (Acute Bronchitis in Children. 2020).