Question

Case 2: Matthew was a first-year student in a medical illustration program. As part of his education, he was required to attend an autopsy with his class. This was to be his first experience viewing a dead human body, and he was apprehensive about it for days in advance. As he was attempting to sketch the great vessels of the heart, he noticed that his breathing rate was fast and getting faster. At the same time, he noticed that his heart had begun to race, that he was sweating despite the cool temperature, and that he was feeling lightheaded and nauseous. His professor, noticing that Matthew was pale and his pupils were dilated, led him to a chair outside the autopsy room. She handed Matthew a paper bag and recommended that he breathe into it for a few minutes. Soon Matthew's lightheadedness and nausea began to subside and his respiratory and heart rates began to return to-normal.

Guided Questions for Case 2:

5. Why was Matthew pale and sweating e.g. relate autonomics to control of cutaneous blood flow?

6. Why did Matthew feel lightheaded hint- breathing rate and CO2?

7. How did breathing into a paper bag relieve Matthew's symptoms?

Answer 1

5. Mathew was pale and sweating because the sympathetic nervous system got activated when he was frightened and this causes cutaneous vasoconstriction which makes the person look pale and the sweating occurs due to the activation of sympathetic nervous system.

6. As Mathew was breathing rapidly, all carbon dioxide from the body is washed out . Lack of carbon dioxide causes the vasoconstriction of the blood vessels in the brain and thus decreased blood flow to the brain causes lightheadedness and fainting

7. Breathing in a paper bag will help in restoring the body levels of carbon dioxide as the person will be inspiring the carbon dioxide which he released into the bag. So this might help in resolution of the symptoms

Hope this helps... Thank you!!!