The first priority problem of Matthew is chronic chest infection, the main clinical feature …show more content…
It mainly controls the chloride and bicarbonate channel but also acts on epithelium sodium channel (Lobo, Rojas-Balcazar, & Noone, 2012, p.311). The loss of CFTR function decreases the chloride secretion and increases the sodium absorption (Spielberg & Clancy, 2016, p.157), which causes dehydrated mucus and reduced airway surface liquid on bronchus (Gilligan, 2014, p.198). Consequently, this impairs mucociliary clearance and allows the environment to be susceptive to inflammation and infection (Spielberg …show more content…
In Matthew’s case, he is prescribed tobramycin 300mg via inhalation twice a day. Tobramycin, an aminoglycoside, is commonly used in CF as it discourages the protein synthesis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria, the most targeted pathogen in CF (Maselli, Keyt, & Restrepo, 2017, p.3-4; Molloy & Nichols, 2015, p.569; Spielberg & Clancy, 2016, p.160). It resolves the bacterial infection in the lower airways and improves lung function, thus reducing rates of exacerbations (Maselli et al., 2017, p.4). The common side effects of tobramycin are cough, altered voice and tinnitus which should be observed carefully because of the potential risk of cochlear toxicity (Maselli et al., 2017, p.5; Sommerwerck et al., 2014, p.1794). As a collaborative intervention, nurses play a crucial role in administering medication and educating patients and carers about medication (Shone, Yin, & Wolf, as cited in Gibson, Stelter, Haglund, & Lerret, 2017, p.226), including regimes, signs of side effects and interactions (Yetzer, Goetsch, & St. Paul, 2011, p.257). In regards to administering, nurses are responsible for correct medication, thus required to adhere to seven rights (right patient, drug, time, dose, route, reason and documentation) before administration (Smeulers et al., 2015, p.2-3). Also, especially in cases such as