Inflammatory Bowel Disease Case Study (45 min)
Included In This Lesson
Study Tools For Inflammatory Bowel Disease Case Study (45 min)
Outline
Ms. Hale is a 19 year old female who presents to the Emergency Department (ED) reporting bloody diarrhea. She reports that she has been told she has Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) in the past, and sometimes has bloody stools, but this is the first time she’s seen this much blood
What further history questions would you ask Ms. Hale?
Ms. Hale reports she has 5-10 bowel movements daily, she has had 3 already this morning. She reports she’s used to that, especially if she eats greasy foods. She says “I had just accepted that I would never poop normally, but I’ve never seen that amount of blood before. It was crazy!”. She reports a weight loss of 10 lbs in the last 4 months.
What additional nursing assessments need to be performed?
What diagnostic tests would you expect the provider to order? Why?
Ms. Hale’s vital signs are stable. The provider found frank blood on a digital rectal exam. Ms. Hale received a colonoscopy, which showed a bleeding ulcer in her transverse colon, which was cauterized, but no other signs of bleeding. The provider believes this may have been an isolated incident due to irritation caused by the patients greasy food diet and IBS. He orders for her to be discharged home.
What discharge instructions should be included for Ms. Hale?
Ms. Hale returns to the ED 2 days later complaining of bright red blood in her stools – two yesterday and five already today. She reports severe lower abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting.
What further diagnostic testing should be done at this time?
The nurse notes open sores in Ms. Hale’s mouth and Ms. Hale also begins reporting epigastric pain.
An endoscopy, repeat colonoscopy, and CT scan show severe thickening of the mucosa in the small and large intestine, with some ulcerations in the duodenum and ileocecal junction, in addition to the previous one seen in the transverse colon.
What do you believe might be the issue for Ms. Hale?
Is Ms. Hale presenting with signs of Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn’s Disease? Explain.
A Gastroenterology specialist officially diagnoses Ms. Hale with Inflammatory Bowel Disease, and explains that these symptoms can sometimes be misdiagnosed until they become severe. Specifically, he diagnoses her with Crohn’s Disease and explains how it affects the entire GI tract. He will write for new medications and discharge her home tomorrow, as long as she is stable.
What medications would you expect Ms. Hale to be discharged with? Why?
MedSurg
Concepts Covered:
- Disorders of the Posterior Pituitary Gland
- Endocrine
- Disorders of Pancreas
- Disorders of the Thyroid & Parathyroid Glands
- Cardiac Disorders
- Emergency Care of the Cardiac Patient
- Central Nervous System Disorders – Brain
- Neurological
- Noninfectious Respiratory Disorder
- Respiratory
- Hematologic Disorders
- Delegation
- Perioperative Nursing Roles
- Lower GI Disorders
- Disorders of the Adrenal Gland
- Documentation and Communication
- Preoperative Nursing
- Legal and Ethical Issues
- Factors Influencing Community Health
- Immunological Disorders
- Oncology Disorders
- Female Reproductive Disorders
- Cognitive Disorders
- Musculoskeletal Trauma
- Intraoperative Nursing
- Medication Administration
- Vascular Disorders
- Renal Disorders
- Shock
- Male Reproductive Disorders
- Sexually Transmitted Infections
- Infectious Respiratory Disorder
- Gastrointestinal Disorders
- Respiratory Emergencies
- Newborn Complications
- Peripheral Nervous System Disorders
- Studying
- Integumentary Disorders
- Upper GI Disorders
- Communication
- Microbiology
- Emergency Care of the Trauma Patient
- Urinary Disorders
- Integumentary Disorders
- Acute & Chronic Renal Disorders
- Liver & Gallbladder Disorders
- Musculoskeletal Disorders
- Circulatory System
- Shock
- Cardiovascular
- EENT Disorders
- Postoperative Nursing
- Neurological Emergencies
- Disorders of Thermoregulation
- Neurological Trauma
- Basics of NCLEX
- Fundamentals of Emergency Nursing
- Integumentary Important Points
- Multisystem
- Test Taking Strategies
- Tissues and Glands
- Urinary System
- Emergency Care of the Neurological Patient
- Neurologic and Cognitive Disorders
- Central Nervous System Disorders – Spinal Cord
- Renal and Urinary Disorders
- Nervous System
- Respiratory Disorders
- Respiratory System
- Infectious Disease Disorders
- EENT Disorders
- Emergency Care of the Respiratory Patient