[Answered]: Case Study #3 Mrs

Case Study #3 Mrs. B. is a 66 year-old female admitted to the critical care unit with a chief complaint of shortness of breath and palpitations. The physician’s preliminary diagnosis was uncontrolled hypertension complicated by atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure. Mrs. B.’s past health history includes pertussis, as well as the usual childhood illnesses without sequelae. Her mother died when Mrs. B. was in her early twenties. Mrs. B. noticed that she is particularly short of breath when lying flat. She is able to sleep with three or four pillows but prefers to sleep in a recliner chair. Although she enjoys walking about the neighborhood, she is going out less often and coming home very tired. When Mrs. B. was visiting her daughter on a cold December day, she climbed the stairs to the second floor and began to experience chest discomfort. At first she attributed her discomfort to her usual shortness of breath with exertion. She sat down on the top of the stairs to rest and “catch her breath”. After 5 minutes, she was still very short of breath and noticed that she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Mrs. B.’s daughter drove her to the Emergency Room.