Question

your patient is a 55 - year - old man with a history of chronic bronchitis. you have been called to his home today because of an increased dyspnea. the patient is on 2 liters per minute of oxygen by nasal cannula at home. your assessment reveals difficulty speaking due to shortness of breath, leaning forward to breathe, a productive cough, and a respiratory rate of 32 per minute. does this patient need oxygen? if so what type? no yes, nasal canula at 2 - 6 lpm yes, non rebreather at 15 lpm yes, cpap yes, bvm at 15 lpm

Explanation:

The patient has chronic bronchitis and presents with increased dyspnea (shortness of breath), difficulty speaking due to shortness of breath, leaning forward to breathe, a productive cough, and a respiratory rate of 32 per minute (elevated, normal adult respiratory rate is 12 - 20 per minute). Nasal cannula is a common and less - invasive oxygen delivery method suitable for patients who may need a relatively low - flow oxygen supply (2 - 6 lpm is a typical range for nasal cannula in such respiratory distress cases without immediate need for high - flow non - rebreather or invasive ventilation like BVM or CPAP/BiPAP which are more for severe respiratory failure or specific indications). Non - rebreather (15 lpm) is usually for more severe hypoxemia when higher oxygen concentrations are urgently needed. CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) is for issues like sleep apnea - related respiratory problems or specific types of respiratory failure where airway pressure support is needed. BVM (bag - valve - mask) at 15 lpm is an invasive (in terms of needing to be held to the face and potentially for ventilation support) method usually for more critical situations like apnea or near - apnea. Since the patient already has a nasal cannula at home (a common long - term or moderate - distress oxygen delivery device) and the symptoms suggest moderate respiratory distress (not immediately life - threatening requiring high - flow non - rebreather or invasive ventilation), nasal cannula at 2 - 6 lpm is a reasonable choice.

Answer:

Yes, nasal cannula at 2 - 6 lpm