Assignment: Chest X-Ray

Assignment: Chest X-Ray
Assignment: Chest X-Ray
Use the image in “Discussion Question Resource: Chest X-Ray” to answer the following Critical Thinking Questions.
Examine the x-ray of a patient diagnosed with pneumonia due to infection with Mucor. Refer to the “Module 4 DQ Chest Xray” resource in order to complete the following questions.
Critical Thinking Questions
Explain what Mucor is and how a patient is likely to become infected with Mucor. Describe the pathophysiologic progression of the infection into pneumonia and at least two medical/nursing interventions that would be helpful in treating the patient.
Examine the laboratory blood test results and arterial blood gases provided in “Discussion Question Resource: Laboratory Blood Test Results.” What laboratory values are considered abnormal? Explain each abnormality and discuss the probable causes from a pathophysiologic perspective.
What medications and medical treatments are likely to be prescribed by the attending physician on this case? List at least three medications and three treatments. Provide rationale for each of the medications and treatments you suggest.
What exactly is a chest X-ray (also known as chest radiography)?
The most common diagnostic x-ray examination is a chest x-ray.
Images of the heart, lungs, airways, blood vessels, and spine and chest bones are produced by a chest x-ray.
An x-ray examination aids clinicians in the diagnosis and treatment of medical disorders.
It uses a small amount of ionizing radiation to create images of the inside of your body.
X-rays are the most common and oldest type of medical imaging.
What are some of the most common applications of the procedure?
The purpose of a chest x-ray is to examine the lungs, heart, and chest wall.
Typically, a chest x-ray is the initial imaging test done to assist detect symptoms like:
Breathing problems, a strong or persistent cough, chest pain, or a fever from an injury
Physicians use the exam to help diagnose or track the progress of treatment for illnesses like:
pneumonia, heart failure, and other cardiovascular issues
other medical disorders emphysema lung cancer location of medical equipment fluid or air collection around the lungs emphysema
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What should I do to get ready?
A chest x-ray does not necessitate any additional preparation.
For the exam, you may need to remove some clothing and/or change into a gown.
Remove any metal objects or clothing that could interfere with the x-ray pictures, such as jewelry, removable dental appliances, eyeglasses, and any other metal objects or clothing.
If a woman is pregnant, she should always tell her doctor and technician.
To avoid exposing the fetus to radiation, doctors will not do many tests during pregnancy.
If an x-ray is required, the doctor will take care to limit the baby’s exposure to radiation.
More information on pregnancy with x-rays can be found on the page Safety in X-ray, Interventional Radiology, and Nuclear Medicine Procedures.
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How does the equipment appear?
A wall-mounted, box-like apparatus storing the x-ray film, or a specific plate that records the image digitally, is generally used for chest x-rays.
A tube that produces x-rays is about six feet away.
The apparatus can also be set up so that the x-ray tube is suspended above a table where the patient is lying.
The x-ray film or digital recording plate is kept in a drawer beneath the table.
X-ray machines that are small and portable can be carried to a patient in a hospital bed or to an emergency department.
A flexible arm is attached to the x-ray tube.
The technologist extends his or her arm over the patient and sets an x-ray film holder or image capturing plate beneath him or her.
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What is the procedure’s mechanism?
X-rays, like light and radio waves, are a type of radiation.
Most items, including the human body, are transparent to X-rays.
The x-ray beam is carefully aimed at the area of interest by the technologist.
A brief burst of radiation is produced by the equipment and goes through your body.
Radiation causes an image to be recorded on photographic film or a specific detector.
The x-rays are absorbed differently by different areas of the body.
Soft tissue (muscle, fat, and organs) allow more x-rays to travel through them, while dense bone absorbs much of the radiation.
As a result, on an x-ray, bones appear white, soft tissue appears gray, and air appears black.
The ribs and spine absorb a lot of the radiation on a chest x-ray and appear white or light gray on the image.
Lung tissue absorbs very little radiation, so the image will appear dark.
The majority of x-ray images are digital data that are kept electronically.
Your doctor will have easy access to these photos in order to diagnose and treat your illness.
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What is the procedure’s procedure?
As the patient stands against the image recording plate, two views of the chest are typically captured, one from the back and the other from the side.
The patient will be positioned with hands on hips and chest pressed on the picture plate by the technologist, who is highly trained to do radiology examinations.
The patient’s side is against the picture plate in the second view, and his arms are up.
For chest x-rays, patients who are unable to stand may be positioned lying down on a table.
While the technologist takes the x-ray, you must remain very motionless and may need to hold your breath for a few seconds.
This reduces the likelihood of a fuzzy image.
To activate the x-ray machine, the technologist will step behind a wall or into the next room.
When the exam is finished, the technologist may ask you to wait until the radiologist confirms that all of the required images have been obtained.
The full chest x-ray examination takes around 15 minutes, from positioning to getting and validating the images.
To assess any changes in the chest, more views may be required within hours, days, or months.