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Impaired Gas Exchange related to Asthma

Nursing Care Plan for Asthma

Impaired Gas Exchange : Excess or deficit in oxygenation and/or carbon dioxide elimination at the alveolar-capillary membrane

Defining Characteristics:
  • Visual disturbances;
  • decreased carbon dioxide;
  • dyspnea;
  • abnormal arterial blood gases;
  • hypoxia;
  • irritability;
  • somnolence;
  • restlessness;
  • hypercapnia;
  • tachycardia;
  • cyanosis (in neonates only);
  • abnormal skin color (pale, dusky);
  • hypoxemia;
  • hypercarbia;
  • headache on awakening;
  • abnormal rate, rhythm, depth of breathing;
  • diaphoresis;
  • abnormal arterial pH;
  • nasal flaring

Asthma is a chronic, or life long, disease that can be serious—even life threatening. There is no cure for asthma. The good news is that it can be managed so you can live a normal, healthy life.

Asthma is a lung disease that makes it harder to move air in and out of your lungs. There are three things that you should know about asthma:
  1. Asthma is chronic. In other words, you live with it every day.
  2. It can be serious – even life threatening.
  3. There is no cure for asthma, but it can be managed so you live a normal, healthy life.


Nursing Diagnosis for Asthma

Impaired Gas Exchange related to CO2 retention, increased secretion, increased respiration, and a disease process.

1) Goal
  • The client will maintain adequate gas exchange and oxygenation.

2) Expected Outcomes
  • Frequency of breathing 16-20 times / min
  • Pulse frequency 60-120 times / min
  • Normal skin color, no dipnea and blood gas analysis within normal limits

3) Interventions
  • Monitoring of respiratory status every 4 hours, blood gas analysis, income and output.
  • Place client in semi-Fowler position.
  • Give intravenous therapy as directed.
  • Give oxygen through a nasal cannula 4 l / min, then adapt the results of PaO 2.
  • Give the medication that has been prescribed and observe if there are signs of toxicity.

4) Rational
  • To identify the indications towards progress or deviations from the client.
  • Upright position allowing better lung expansion.
  • To enable rapid rehydration and can assess the situation for vascular administration of emergency drugs.
  • Giving oxygen to reduce the burden of respiratory muscles.
  • Treatment to restore bronchial conditions as the previous conditions.
  • For ease breathing and prevent atelectasis.