Bio Case Study

Part I—The Grandparents Arrive

1. What factors can trigger an asthmatic episode? Stress, excitement, physical activity.

2. What do you think triggered the asthmatic episode in this case? I think the physical activity of carrying around and playing with the baby caused the asthma attack.

3. Which of the airways (trachea, bronchi, and bronchioles) do not contain rings of cartilage, and are therefore more likely to collapse? The trachea.

4. Why is air flow restricted during an asthmatic episode? The airways in the lungs swell.

5. Why is wheezing usually worse when asthmatics exhale? Exhaling puts pressure on those swollen passageways.

Part II—That Night

1. Do you think that this episode is simply a bad asthmatic attack? No.

2. What could have brought on this episode? The physical stress of driving from Florida to Jersey in 19 hours.

3. What symptoms indicate that this may be something else? The pain in her chest and neck, along with the pain down her arm.

4. With the above symptoms in mind, do you wish to speculate about Barbara’s condition? I believe it was the early stages of a heart attack.

Part III—The Hospital

1. Is Barbara’s heart rate normal? No; it’s high.

2. Is Barbara’s blood pressure normal? No; it’s very low.

3. What can you conclude from these two observations? Something is seriously wrong with Barbara.

4. Why does a lack of movement create swelling in Barbara’s legs? Probably a blood clot or being immobile for that long of time.

5. Why is swelling restricted to her legs? Why didn’t her arms swell? Because swelling occurs below the blood clot..?

6. If you were the doctor, what tests would you perform? Ultrasound, MRI, or maybe a catscan?

Part IV—Tests, Tests, and More Tests

1. What do the ECG and the blood levels of creatine phosphokinase- and troponin-I tell you about the likelihood that Barbara had a heart attack? According to the tests, it is unlikely that Barbara had a heart...