Due to immunosuppression therapy, patients become more susceptible to infections because their immune system’s defenses are weakened. Such infections could complicate D.W.’s condition. Additionally, this therapy can mask the typical signs and symptoms of when the body’s homeostasis is disrupted, such as masking a fever or hyperglycemia. This calls for the need of additional monitoring and proper hygiene to prevent such complications from occurring. The nurse should obtain vital signs more frequently, and assess any complaints of changes, etc.
11. D.W. asks about what plasmapheresis does and why might it help her feel better. Describe how you would respond. In response to D.W., I would provide a comparison of plasmapheresis and dialysis, for that plasmapheresis is similar to dialysis, except that it instead removes the plasma which is …show more content…
What is PJP?
Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (PJP) is an illness in relation to a fungal infection, specifically caused by the fungi Pneumocystis jirovecii. As K.D. had presented, this typically has clinical manifestations of shortness of breath (SOB), fever, and a nonproductive cough. PJP is an opportunistic infection that usually is found in people with weakened immune systems. As in K.D.’s case, it is a serious problem in patients with HIV/AIDs. Source: https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/diseases/pneumocystis-pneumonia/
2. What is the significance of the purplish spots over K.D.'s neck and arms?
The purplish spots can be indicative of Kaposi sarcoma, a skin cancer that often becomes an opportunistic infection for people with HIV/AIDS. The significance of this is that Kaposi sarcoma develops when the CD4 count reaches low levels, which is when the diagnosis progresses from HIV to AIDS. Source: