JL, a 50-year-old woman, was camping with her 3 children and spouse, fell and broke the
left tibia at the ankle. She is in the emergency department, waiting for the fracture to be
immobilized. The leg hurts and she note that the ankle is swelling. A diagnosis of a simple
fracture and sprain (damage to ligaments) is made.
1. What is the cause of pain and swelling? What can JL expect in the days to come as
inflammation resolves and healing begins?
The cause of the pain and swelling is due to the injury of the tissue around the fractured ankle
that JL is suffering from. “Inflammation is the body’s non-specific response to tissue injury,
resulting in redness, swelling, warmth, pain, and sometimes a loss of function (Hubert and
VanMeter, 2017)”. JL should expect the pain and swelling to subside because the tissue will
begin to heal, and inflammation will reduce.
2. What is the rationale for immobilizing the fractured bone?
The rationale for immobilizing fractured bones is to make sure that the bone is healing in an
aligned manner. “The objective of fracture care is to allow the biological process of healing
to occur at a normal pace with minimal hindrance and damage to the injured limb (Jain,
2011)” by following proper fracture protocol the healing process of JL’s ankle will begin.
JL’s son Matt, age 10 years, has a runny nose and itchy eyes and is irritable. The camping
tent was set up in a grassy field, and the boys played several games on the field. Matt is also
seen by a health care provider and a diagnosis of allergy to pollen is made.
1. Explain the rationale for each of Matt’s symptoms.
Matt is experiencing an allergic reaction to pollen. “Allergic reactions take many forms,
including skin rashes, hay fever, vomiting, and anaphylaxis” in Matt’s case he is experiencing
rhinitis “which is usually seasonal because it is related to plant pollens in the air, but some
people are susceptible to multiple allergens such as molds or dusts and can exhibit signs at any
time of year (Hubert and VanMeter, 2017)”.
2. Identify the type of immune response involved.
Matt is experiencing hypersensitivity type 1. “Type I hypersensitivity begins when an
individual is exposed to a specific allergen and for some reason develops IgE antibodies from B
lymphocytes (Hubert and VanMeter, 2017)”. In Matt’s situation he has a hypersensitivity to
pollen, which causes rhinitis and rhino-conjunctivitis.
3. Discuss what Matt can expect in the future.
Matt should expect that every time he comes in contact with pollen, his immune response
will activate causing him to have a runny nose (rhinitis) and itchy eyes (rhino-conjunctivitis). A
way that Matt’s parents can treat this is by “staying indoors or wear masks outdoors to keep
away from pollen allergens during pollen season. For worse, it is suggested to move to live in a
non-pollen area (Xie et al., 2019)”. Of course, there are medications that can help with pollen
This study source was downloaded by 100000847795904 from CourseHero.com on 06-18-2022 05:30:42 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/100600877/Case-Study-2-NR-283-Copydocx/
left tibia at the ankle. She is in the emergency department, waiting for the fracture to be
immobilized. The leg hurts and she note that the ankle is swelling. A diagnosis of a simple
fracture and sprain (damage to ligaments) is made.
1. What is the cause of pain and swelling? What can JL expect in the days to come as
inflammation resolves and healing begins?
The cause of the pain and swelling is due to the injury of the tissue around the fractured ankle
that JL is suffering from. “Inflammation is the body’s non-specific response to tissue injury,
resulting in redness, swelling, warmth, pain, and sometimes a loss of function (Hubert and
VanMeter, 2017)”. JL should expect the pain and swelling to subside because the tissue will
begin to heal, and inflammation will reduce.
2. What is the rationale for immobilizing the fractured bone?
The rationale for immobilizing fractured bones is to make sure that the bone is healing in an
aligned manner. “The objective of fracture care is to allow the biological process of healing
to occur at a normal pace with minimal hindrance and damage to the injured limb (Jain,
2011)” by following proper fracture protocol the healing process of JL’s ankle will begin.
JL’s son Matt, age 10 years, has a runny nose and itchy eyes and is irritable. The camping
tent was set up in a grassy field, and the boys played several games on the field. Matt is also
seen by a health care provider and a diagnosis of allergy to pollen is made.
1. Explain the rationale for each of Matt’s symptoms.
Matt is experiencing an allergic reaction to pollen. “Allergic reactions take many forms,
including skin rashes, hay fever, vomiting, and anaphylaxis” in Matt’s case he is experiencing
rhinitis “which is usually seasonal because it is related to plant pollens in the air, but some
people are susceptible to multiple allergens such as molds or dusts and can exhibit signs at any
time of year (Hubert and VanMeter, 2017)”.
2. Identify the type of immune response involved.
Matt is experiencing hypersensitivity type 1. “Type I hypersensitivity begins when an
individual is exposed to a specific allergen and for some reason develops IgE antibodies from B
lymphocytes (Hubert and VanMeter, 2017)”. In Matt’s situation he has a hypersensitivity to
pollen, which causes rhinitis and rhino-conjunctivitis.
3. Discuss what Matt can expect in the future.
Matt should expect that every time he comes in contact with pollen, his immune response
will activate causing him to have a runny nose (rhinitis) and itchy eyes (rhino-conjunctivitis). A
way that Matt’s parents can treat this is by “staying indoors or wear masks outdoors to keep
away from pollen allergens during pollen season. For worse, it is suggested to move to live in a
non-pollen area (Xie et al., 2019)”. Of course, there are medications that can help with pollen
This study source was downloaded by 100000847795904 from CourseHero.com on 06-18-2022 05:30:42 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/100600877/Case-Study-2-NR-283-Copydocx/
