Which therapy is being shown in the given image?

DSSSB 13 August 2024

Medical & Surgical Nursing

Easy

Appeared in: DSSSB 13 August 2024

Explanation

The image shows a patient fully enclosed in a transparent, cylindrical chamber, which is a monoplace hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) unit.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves breathing 100% pure oxygen in a chamber where the air pressure is increased up to three times higher than normal.
This high-pressure environment allows the lungs to gather more oxygen than would be possible at normal air pressure, which helps fight bacteria and stimulate the release of substances called growth factors and stem cells, which promote healing.
It is used to treat a variety of medical conditions, including serious infections, bubbles of air in blood vessels (air embolism), and wounds that won't heal as a result of diabetes or radiation injury.

Option A: Vacuum-assisted wound closure, also known as Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT), is a localized treatment. It uses a foam dressing, a suction tube, and a pump to apply negative pressure directly to a wound bed, not a full-body chamber.
Option B: Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is the same as vacuum-assisted wound closure. It is a localized therapy applied directly to a wound and does not involve enclosing the patient in a chamber.
Option C: Maplex Ag (a brand name for Mepilex Ag) is a type of antimicrobial wound dressing containing silver. It is applied topically to the wound surface and is not a form of chamber-based therapy.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Use the key finding related to Identification of Therapeutic Medical Equipment to guide bedside assessment, documentation, and the next nursing action.
Nurses must be able to differentiate between systemic therapies like HBOT and localized wound care like NPWT to ensure correct patient preparation and monitoring. For HBOT, this includes assessing for contraindications (e.g., untreated pneumothorax) and monitoring for side effects like ear barotrauma and confinement anxiety.
Patient education is crucial. A patient scheduled for HBOT needs to understand they will be in an enclosed space to manage potential anxiety (claustrophobia), a key adverse effect.
What if? If the patient in the image had a heavily exudating diabetic foot ulcer but no signs of systemic infection or ischemia requiring HBOT, the primary treatment might instead be Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) to manage the local wound environment.

How to Approach the Question

First, analyze the image to identify the key features of the equipment. Observe that the patient is entirely inside a large, sealed, transparent tube.
Recognize this as a systemic treatment, as it involves the whole body, not just a localized area.
Evaluate the options based on this observation. 'Vacuum-assisted wound closure' and 'Negative pressure wound therapy' are localized suction treatments applied directly to a wound.
'Maplex Ag closure therapy' refers to a specific type of wound dressing, which is also a local treatment.
Conclude that 'Hyperbaric oxygen therapy' is the only option that involves placing a patient inside a pressurized chamber to deliver a systemic treatment.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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E6 Nursing Brunner Adult Health 3SA Vol 1 Part 3 p. 84-86

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