Bronchitis is characterized by the inflammation, infection or swelling of the lining of the bronchi or the airways in the lungs. The bronchial tubes carry oxygen to and out of the lungs. Symptoms include coughing up sputum, wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest discomfort. Bronchitis may be either chronic or acute.

Acute bronchitis is a common kind of bronchitis caused by viral infections, such as cold or flu. Whereas, Chronic Bronchitis is an illness that is serious, chronic and it results from continuous irritation or inflammation of the bronchial tubes.

Acute bronchitis, referred to as a chest cold, improves with no lasting effects within a week or ten days, even though the cough may linger for months.

When there are repeated bouts of bronchitis, this signifies Chronic bronchitis, and this requires medical intervention. Chronic bronchitis is one of those conditions of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

You are recommended to get a nursing care plan for Chronic bronchitis in order to avoid any risks to your health.

For chronic bronchitis or acute bronchitis, symptoms and might include the following

• Cough along with the generation of mucus or sputum, which is clear white or yellowish-grey or has a light green tinge in colour and may also sometimes have spots of blood.
• Infection
• Shortness of breath
• Slight fever and chills
• Abdominal distress

You may have symptoms like a headache or body aches in case you have got acute bronchitis. Generally, these symptoms generally improve in about a week, however, if you have a bad cough lingering for a few weeks, it could be a symptom of Chronic Bronchitis.

Chronic bronchitis is characterized by a cough that lasts for at least three months and keeps recurring with bouts for a long time.

For those having chronic bronchitis, there would be periods of calm and no symptoms followed by periods when cough or other symptoms become worse.  There may be a possibility of having an infection and acute bronchitis as well, on top of the existing chronic bronchitis.

Why do some people have bronchitis?

Bronchitis is caused by the inflammation of the bronchial tubes, due to viruses, bacteria, or other irritants to the lining of the bronchioles.

• Repeated irritation and damage to the airways and lung tissue causes chronic bronchitis.
• Other frequent causes of chronic asthma, include smoking, long-term exposure to air pollution, fumes, and dust in the surroundings, and repeated episodes of acute bronchitis amongst other reasons.

care 24 provides nursing care plan for acute bronchitis for the patients for their care and well being.

Risk factor

The following are the risk factors for Bronchitis

• Cigarette smoke – Individuals who smoke or who live with those that smoke is at greater risk of both acute as well as chronic bronchitis.
• Reduced immunity – This may result due to acute illness, including cold, or by a chronic condition that compromises the immune system. Children, babies, and older adults have a higher risk for such exposure.
• Exposure to irritants at the workplace – Your risk of developing bronchitis is higher if you operate around specific lung irritants, like grains or fabrics, or if you are vulnerable to chemical fumes.

Gastric reflux – Repeated bouts of acid reflux due to GERD may irritate your throat and make you prone to developing bronchitis.

To lower your risk of bronchitis, you must do the following

• Avoid cigarette smoke – Cigarette smoke raises your risk of chronic bronchitis.
• Get vaccinated – Most cases of acute hepatitis response from flu, a virus. Getting a flu vaccine helps protect you. You might need to think about.
• Wash your hands – To lower your chance of getting a viral infection, wash your hands regularly and get in the habit of using alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
• Wear a surgical mask – When you have COPD, you may want to use a face mask esp. in case you are exposed to fumes or dust, and if you are likely to be in a crowd or while travelling.

Remedies

Generally, the physicians recommend good rest and plenty of fluids. A bout of bronchitis is often self-resolving and disappears by itself. Drinking lots of fluids and letting the body rest, may allow symptoms to disappear faster.

Remedies may also include

• A cough suppressant only if you are not pulling up mucus. In case you are getting mucus, it means you are clearing your airways and your doctor may probably not counsel you to take one.
• Pain reliever
• Sleeping near a source of humidity or in a steamy bath
• Bronchodilators or inhaled medications that help open airways

Should Antibiotics be consumed?

Antibiotics are extremely fast acting drugs that treat bacterial diseases. However, acute bronchitis is usually caused by a viral infection and antibiotics are ineffective on the virus.

You may obtain a prescription for antibiotics only if your physician believes the cause is bacteria.

If that’s the case, make sure you complete the course as specified and prescription by your physician  and get one of chronic bronchitis nursing interventions otherwise the disease could remain in your system even if you are feeling better and have therefore discontinued mediation. You need to be certain that all the bacteria are out of your system.

Other Medicines

A bout of bronchitis can make breathing harder if you have other respiratory issues.

Allergies, asthma, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can all narrow your airways. You will require an inhaler along with other remedies in case you have got one of those conditions together with bronchitis.

Make sure you inform your doctor all the medications.

• Boost secretion via ambulation, coughing, and deep breathing.
• Increase fluid intake to liquefy secretions and protect against dehydration brought by fever and tachypnea.
• Encourage rest, avoidance of bronchial irritants, along with a healthy and light diet to ease healing.
• Advise the patient to finish the entire course of antibiotics and explain the use of healthy foods on medicine absorption.
• Caution the individual on utilizing over-the-counter cough suppressants, antihistamines, and decongestants, which might cause retention of and drying secretions. Cough preparations containing mucolytic guaifenesin are suitable.
• Advise the individual that a dry cough may persist following aggravation of airways. Suggest avoiding surroundings that are dry and suggest the use of a humidifier. Encourage the patient to completely stops smoking.
• Educate the individual to recognize and instantly report early symptoms of acute bronchitis.

If you are coughing non-stop due to bronchitis, you may search for whatever you can do, to make it stop. Apart from a cough suppressant, which may have side effects such as nausea, dizziness, or dry mouth, avoid all such things.

Things that Bother Lungs – Staying away from materials such as smoke, chemical fumes, dust, and air pollution would be your very best way to prevent and cure bronchitis. If you have trouble quitting and smoke, talk about what may work for you to your physician. Wear a mask and open windows when possible – should you work them around, for instance – if you cannot steer clear of the materials.

Get Plenty of Rest – The disease and cough which start with hepatitis may make you quite exhausted. Listen to your body and obtain as much rest as is possible, particularly, if a night cough keeps you awake, use an additional pillow to prop your head up and maintain mucus from settling at the back of your throat.

Drink Plenty of Fluids – Whenever you have bronchitis, it is very important to loosen the mucus in your chest so that you can cough it up and breathe more easily. The very best approach to make mucus more fluid is to drink loads of fluids such as water, diluted fruit juices, herbal tea, and clear soups. Aim for eight to 12 glasses per day. However, try to steer clear of alcohol and caffeine.

Gargle with Saltwater – This can eliminate a few of the mucus that irritates and coats your throat. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt in a glass of water. Spit out it after gargling. You can do this a few times each day to make your throat feel better.

Inhale Steam – This is another means to make mucus more fluid so that it can move out from your body. To get started, using a steaming bowl, boil water in a pot and put it into a large, heatproof bowl. Try making it not too hot, because that will irritate the lining on your nasal passages. Drape a towel over your head and lean over the bowl, creating a tent using the towel. Breathe the steam for about 10 minutes. You might also take a very hot shower or sit in a steamy bath.

Use a Humidifier – A cold- or – warm-mist humidifier in the bedroom releases moisture in the atmosphere while you sleep, and that will help to clear the mucus. Be certain that you clean your humidifier frequently in order to clean out germs and mould.

Use honey to ease – From ancient times, honey is used as a medicine. If you eat it or stir it into warm herbal tea, it can aid with the annoying cough that often includes influenza and also soothes a sore throat. But do not give honey to children younger than one-year-old since it can lead to infant botulism, a very serious sort of food poisoning.

As patient recovery is ensured by postoperative nursing care, getting a nursing care plan for bronchitis  is a vital element of the curing process. Post-operative care for individuals might be easy and may be short term or long term or may entail procedure for a few.

In case of long term post-operative care, a patient is much better off within the warmth or home rather than in a hospital. Aiding this kind of care is something that we provide from our home care nursing services. As a part of our nursing care plan for bronchitis, our group of nurses and other caregivers, would come and see you and offer care. In some cases, the nurse may remain with the individual for 24*7 monitoring and attention.

Therefore, if you require nursing care in your home, look no further and trust your loved ones’ care to Care24 and we guarantee a satisfactory and quick recovery of the individual in the most effective and fastest way possible.