Cardiac Arrhythmias Essay Paper

 You will create a case study or scenario revolving around Cardiac Arrhythmias. You will need to come up with a patient, their history/situation and their clinical presentation. You can include any information that will help your reader understand what is going on with the patient. You should use references about the topic to help you create the situation. Then ask three questions, that you would like one of your colleagues to answer regarding your case study/scenario. These questions should be open ended and allow for critical thinking.

Mrs. Steele is a 52-year-old African American female who lives with her husband and three children. She has a four-year history of diabetes and two-year history of type 2 diabetes mellitus. She has been driven to the accidents and emergency department from palliative care. The family reports that she has been complaining of fatigue and weakness. Cardiac Arrhythmias Essay Paper.  She has been previously diagnosed with cardiac arrhythmia and was therefore receiving palliative care from an institution within her locality.

Mrs. Steele’s journey started about five years ago when after a day-long service at her local church, she reported to her husband that she was feeling dizzy and weak. The following day, she went to a local pharmacy and bought acetaminophen to relieve the headache that she was also feeling. After three days, the headache, weakness, and dizziness did not subside and she visited a local clinic where after being examined by the physician, she was advised to take water and have some rest. She only rested for a few days and went back to the health facility again. This time, her symptoms had exacerbated and she was also feeling chest pain, rapid pounding on the chest, and near fainting spells. After examination, the physician ordered for complete blood count to check for possible anemia. The results from the laboratory were not conclusive. She was referred to another facility for further examination. At the facility, no conclusive diagnosis was established and she was administered analgesics and advised to return a week later for follow-up.

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Although she did not turn up a week later, she visited her local facility a month later complaining of chest pain radiating to her spine. She was also complaining of headaches and dizziness. Her blood pressure was 188/109 and random blood sugar was 407mg/dl. She was immediately infused with insulin 10 units for 2 hours before being given oral antihyperglycemic drugs. Mrs. Steele was given metformin 500mg OD and metoprolol 100mg OD. Due to her poor glycemic control, she was advised to engage in physical exercise and adopt a healthy dietary practice. She enrolled in a gym and started engaging in morning runs. Still, her metformin dosage was increased to 500mg BD. Cardiac Arrhythmias Essay Paper.

Although her other symptoms like headache and weakness improved, she continued feeling pain in her chest and episodes of near-fainting spells. She was referred for electrocardiography which also brought inconclusive results. She was given a Holter monitor to assess her heart electrical activity as she went home. The following day, she returned to the clinic and her Holter monitor results were suggestive of cardiac arrhythmias. She was therefore referred for another electrocardiography which confirmed the initial diagnosis. She was given amiodarone 600mg QD which she has been taking ever since. Due to her deteriorating health, the family decided to take her to palliative care where she can be well-managed.

Today, Mrs. Steele has been driven to the accident and emergency department by her husband. Her husband reports that she feels numb and weak in the face and the limbs on the left side of the body. He also reports confusion as Mrs. Steele has difficulty recalling the number of her children, has trouble speaking, and cannot see with both eyes (Heidt et al., 2016). Cardiac Arrhythmias Essay Paper. He finally endorses that she lacks balance and coordination. On examination, Mrs. Steele demonstrates aphasia, right hemiparesis, and right hemianopia. She also has left hemispatial neglect which is characteristic of cardiac arrhythmia complication (Jia et al., 2018).

Questions on Case Study

Based on the subjective and objective assessment of Mrs. Steele and her medical history, which is the likely complication? What diagnostic methods can be used to confirm the diagnosis? Apart from cardiac arrhythmias, which other factors precipitate the condition?

References

Heidt, S. T., Kratz, A., Najarian, K., Hassett, A. L., Oral, H., Gonzalez, R., Nallamothu, B. K., Clauw, D., & Ghanbari, H. (2016). Symptoms In Atrial Fibrillation: A Contemporary Review And Future Directions. Journal of atrial fibrillation, 9(1), 1422. https://doi.org/10.4022/jafib.1422

Jia, W., Saito, R., Kanamori, M., Iwabuchi, N., Iwasaki, M., & Tominaga, T. (2018). SMART (stroke-like migraine attacks after radiation therapy) syndrome responded to steroid pulse therapy: Report of a case and review of the literature. Eneurologicalsci, 12, 1-4. Cardiac Arrhythmias Essay Paper.