Lab 9 Blood Circulation Heart Anatomy
Statement of the Problem:
Pulmonary embolism has become a common cause of death worldwide, and some of its effects in the body include circulatory failure. Part of the reason is because of people with already pre-existing conditions such as heart diseases, cancer, and kidneys disease. The other reason is that anyone can get this problem from some of the normal activities we do on a day to day basis. For example, when people are immobile for long, either traveling or on bed rest, the lack of activity is a risk factor for clots developing. Similarly, overweight and pregnant people are also at risk because the veins in their legs are under a lot of weight (Mayo Clinic, 2020). The problem is sometimes preventable and treatable; however, what makes it an outlier is its difficult diagnosis as it emulates many other diseases such as pneumonia and heart disease. Unfortunately, when it goes untreated, it has a mortality rate of 30%, whereas when treated, the mortality rate is only 3%. Statistics show that chronic illnesses cause seven out of ten deaths in the USA, and around 75% of healthcare spending goes to the treatment of chronic diseases (Raghupathi and Raghupathi, 2018). Therefore, a large population is vulnerable to pulmonary embolism, and while there are preventive measures, there are exceptions. For this reason, there is a need for better diagnostic criteria.
Hypothesis
Patients who receive the D-dimer test when they come to the hospital will have a better chance of survival than those who do not.
Materials
I have mainly used internet sources and the results of five separate D-dimer tests being conducted.
Procedure
The study began with a selection of five random people. I took them to a local hoshttps://sharksavewriters.com/chronic-diseases-2/pital laboratory where their blood was taken from the vein on the arm. The tests were done. And I was given results.
Results
The results of three of my sample were positive, whereas two of them were negative. Those classified as positive had high levels of a dimer, and they needed further tests to determine whether they had a clot because high levels of dimer do not precisely mean that the patient has a pulmonary embolism. While I could not wait for them to get the other two tests the Troponin and BNP that would diagnose or rule out pulmonary embolism, I asked for their medical history, and in retrospect, two of them had chronic illnesses. The third had no chronic illness but had just healed from a urinary tract infection.
Conclusion
From these results, it was clear that the D-dimer test is not only a test for pulmonary embolism; however, it can also indicate whether a patient has another problem, and, most often, it detects chronic diseases. Assuming that these patients had not known that they were suffering from chronic illnesses and had just come to the hospital with the flu, they would have been treated for what was more noticeable and released with the chronic disease going untested. This could be part of the reason most people realize they have chronic illnesses such as cancer and heart disease at a later stage. Yet, they have made visits to the hospital a few times, and the condition went unchecked for so long while it could have been diagnosed sooner and treated accordingly. Therefore, instead of doing the D-Dimer tests to patients who have symptoms, it would be wise to test all people who come to the emergency room. People get injured all the time, and most of the time, they take care of the wounds at home. Some of these people may have an advancing pulmonary embolism without knowing yet when they visit the hospital or clinic with a headache. The only thing tested is their blood pressure, and they are sent home with painkillers. Furthermore, the D-dimer test only costs around $20, which could be covered by Medicare or Medicaid. Also, it only takes 25 minutes for the results to come out. In this case, the D-dimer test is both necessary and practical and should be a requirement for patients coming to the hospital.