Heart Cases Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Heart Cases - Essay Example The left foot is erythemic (red), edematous (swollen), very warm and painful to touch, consistent with cellulitis (inflammation of the subcutaneous tissue) You observe infected puncture wounds over the dorsal surface and lateral malleolus. The patient admits to having a heroine addiction and injecting himself multiple times in these areas. During an examination of the patient you carefully assess heart sounds and discover a low murmer at the lower left sternal border. You suspect infective endocarditis and admit the patient to the hospital for intravenous antibiotic treatment.. 3. Trace the pathway bacteria must travel, naming the blood vessels, to reach the point of infection in the heart. The bacteria travels from the leg through the posterior tibial vein, anterior tibial vein, popliteal vein, great saphenous vein, common iliac vein, inferior vena cava and into the heart. 4. If a clump of bacteria or a blood thrombus should break off the site of infection in the heart, where would this embolus travel and what condition could it cause? Trace the path and name the vessels. The embolus would move into the right ventricle and through the pulmonary vein. Deep vein thrombosis A 58-year-old African American male was admitted from a nursing home with a chief complaint of being lethargic and not acting appropriately. The patient stated that his legs hurt, and they had been hurting for a long time. Hemolytic Anemia occurs due to hemolysis, the abnormal breakdown of red blood cells. It is a condition in which red blood cells are destroyed and removed from the bloodstream before their normal lifespan is over. 4. Describe the life cycle of a red blood cell. How are old and damaged erythrocytes disposed of and recycled? The life cycle of a mature erythrocyte is about 12O days. As these cells do not have a nucleus, they cannot split or synthesize new components. Therefore, the cells degenerate owing to damage or aging. At the end of its life, it returns to