Question

Please answer all the questions and in details as well on how a nurse would take care of the patient and what would be the steps the nurse would take.

Discuss the underlying pathophysiology of the following patient. Describe the alterations in health and treatment modalities. Please respond thoughtfully and in details of what a nurse would do.

1. Mr. Smith is an 80 year old male that complains to the doctor that he has to get up at night three times to urinate. He never feels like he completely empties his bladder. Upon palpation, his bladder is distended.

His bloodwork reveals the following:

BUN 32

Cr. 1.1

Hb 13.5

WBC 12.5

Plt 55

Answer 1

The two main causes of bladder distension are impaired nerve functioning that innervates bladder or that controls urination. The bladder distension can also occur if there is any obstruction in the pathway of urine (for example, any stone in the urinary passage, prostate enlargement). Using some of the drugs such as the smooth muscle relaxants, antihistamines, and anesthetics can also cause bladder distention.

In the given case, the creatinine levels are in normal range, but the BUN levels are higher. The nurse has to report the physician and recommend the patient with appropriate measures after detecting the underlying cause. The nurse has to suggest some of the home treatments such as sitting in a bathtub to with hot water, trying to urinate completely by forcing the bladder, etc.