Pulmonary Edema Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Pulmonary Edema - Research Paper Example Pulmonary edema if left untreated could lead to a number of complications and could eventually lead to death of the patient. One of the most common conditions of pulmonary edema is the patient’s difficulty in breathing and in some cases the coughing is accompanied by the patient coughing up pink frothy sputum that is actually blood. Anxiety and pale skin are also attributed to pulmonary edema along with the patient sweating in great amounts. Patients in some cases cannot lie down in a straight position because of their inability to breathe properly. If a patient lies down then he or she would exhibit signs of breathlessness or shortness of breath (Ford & Mazzaferro, 2012). Patients can even suffer breathlessness during the night when they are asleep. Patients wake up from their sleep at night in a state of great anxiety (Ford & Mazzaferro, 2012). In cases where the patient suffers from a chronic case of pulmonary edema, there are symptoms that need to be looked for in the patient. One of the symptoms of chronic pulmonary edema is peripheral edema, where other parts of the body tend to swell up. In most cases peripheral edema is observed within the limbs of the patient. When pressed upon this swelled area, the skin takes a greater time to return to its normal state. An increased jugular venous pressure and swelling of the liver are also observed in patients with acute pulmonary edema. There has even been cases where patients with chronic pulmonary edema have displayed symptoms such as the heart making a third beat and crackling sounds being made by the patient at the end of each breath (Ford & Mazzaferro, 2012). Due to the seriousness of the illness, most physicians and medical personnel diagnose pulmonary edema based on the symptoms of the patient. The initial test conducted is an X-ray of the chest. The chest X-ray helps physicians determine if