Nursing Assignment: Question and Answers

Running head: NURSING ASSIGNMENT
Question and Answers
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1NURSING ASSIGNMENT
Case study 1- John
A. The renal system commonly referred to as the urinary system comprises of the
kidneys, urinary bladder, ureter and urethra. The basic function of the renal system is
to eliminate all kinds of nitrogenous waste products from the body, control the blood
volume, blood pressure regulation and control the electrolyte balance and pH. The
renal tract as the principle system that helps in the expulsion of urine from the body.
In other words, urea that is carried to the kidneys through the bloodstream gets
removed along with other wastes and excess water in the form of urine, through
micturition (Hall 2015). The kidneys participate in urine formation by filtering the
excess water and wastes from the circulating blood. This urine gets passed down to
the urinary bladder through the ureter and is then expelled outside the body by
relaxation of the sphincter muscles that guard the urethra opening.
B. Drinking excess alcohol takes a toll on the physical health and affects the human body
in several ways. The use of alcohol might interfere with the communication pathways
of the brain, and will in turn affect the way his brain functions. These disruptions
might directly bring about an alteration in John’s mood and behaviour, thus making it
difficult for him to think in a clear manner. Drinking also has the probability of
damaging his heart, thus resulting in problems such as, cardiomyopathy, stroke,
arrhythmias, and increased blood pressure (Kemp and Quintana 2013). Heavy
drinking will also take a toll on his liver and result in several hepatic disorders
namely, cirrhosis, fatty liver or steatosis, alcoholic hepatitis, and fibrosis. The
pancreas might also begin the production of toxins that would eventually result in
pancreatitis, which is an inflammation of the pancreatic blood vessels that disrupt
digestion (WHO 2014). Another potential impact of alcohol on physical health is the
onset of cancer.

2NURSING ASSIGNMENT
C. One major intervention is behavioural treatment where John will be provided
counselling services for altering his drinking behaviour. The treatments will be
different, owing to the varied perspectives of alcohol consumption. While
detoxification would lead to withdrawal symptoms, different forms of psychotherapy
will help in limiting his drinking, thus lowering dependency rates. Drugs such as,
acamprosate will also facilitate stabilization of the brain chemistry by antagonizing
glutamate action, hence reducing relapse rates (Mann et al. 2013). The Sinclair
method can also be used for treating alcoholism by blocking positive reinforcement
impact of ethanol.
Case study 2- Phyllis
A. There are five main types of bones present in the human body namely, (i) long, (ii)
short, (iii) irregular, (iv) flat, and (v) sesamoid. The long bones have a shaft called
diaphysis that is longer than width, and a rounded epiphysis at end of the shafts. Short
bones have a cuboid shape with thin compact bone layer around the spongy interior.
Sesamoid bones are embedded in tendon and hold them away from bone joints. While
the flat bones have parallel layers of compact bones and are curved, the irregular
bones have bony sinuses that impart them the irregular shape. Bones are made up of
collage fibres, which have a tripe helical structure and act as nucleation sites for the
mineral crystals (Shier, Butler and Lewis 2015). Little amounts of
glycosaminoglycans are also bound to the protein and present around the fibre
bundles. Calcium and phosphate are the primary minerals, with the major component
being hydroxyapatite. The bearing surfaces are formed by the hyaline or articular
cartilages.
B. Phyllis is at an increased likelihood of suffering fracture due to her old age. With an
increase in age, individuals become frail and results in falls that create a long-lasting

3NURSING ASSIGNMENT
impact on the health and quality of life of older adults. The fact that she lives alone is
a risky situation, which when combined with her previous history of fall makes her
more susceptible of suffering a fracture. Depression has also been allied with falls and
fracture among the elderly (Iaboni and Flint 2013). Fear of falling and depression are
related with an upsurge in the impairment of body balance and gait. These directly
affect the sensory, motor and cognitive pathways. Furthermore, increased facture risk
in Phyllis can also be accredited to the fact that medications for depression such as,
serotonin reuptake inhibitors often increase the possibility of fragility fractures.
C. Prevention strategies would encompass keeping the flat free from any kind of clutter,
from the floors. The floor surfaces will not be kept slippery. Phyllis will be made to
put on low-heeled and supportive shoes. Adequate rubber mat in shower, lights in
stairways and grab bars will be installed in the home. Fracture management would
require bone immobilization with the use of plaster casts, or metal plates (Ungar et al.
2013). Another immobilization procedure might encompass the insertion of internal
metal rods at the centre of the long bones.
Case study 3- Kofi
A. Any kind of stressful situation results in a cascade of stress related hormones that are
responsible for producing physiological changes. Stressful incidents are also
responsible for increasing the heart rate and breathing rate, accompanied by tension in
the muscles and perspiration. In other words, stress refers to a psychological and
biological response that is experienced upon encountering threats that cannot be dealt
with adequate resources. The hypothalamus controls the stress response, which when
triggered signals to the adrenal medulla and the pituitary gland. These short term
responses are initiated by the ‘Fight or Flight Response’ with the help of the
Sympathomedullary Pathway (SAM). The Hypothalamic Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA)