Definition of Diphtheria
Diphtheria is a serious bacterial infection. Diphtheria is an upper respiratory tract illness caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, a facultative anaerobic, Gram-positive bacterium.
Causes of Diphtheria
Diphtheria is a disease-causing bacteria Corynebacterium diphtheriae that are: gram + bacteria, polymorf, do not move, do not form spores, consists of 3 types of basil are: gravis, mitis, intermedius, forming pseudomembranous difficult appointed, easy bleeding, and colored Greyish-white , issued exotoxin highly malignant and can be toxic to tissues. Diphtheria disease transmission is by air (droplet infection), but can also intermediary tools / objects contaminated by the germs of diphtheria.
Clinical Symptoms of Diphtheria
Incubation period between 1-6 days.
Common symptoms
- fever
- cold
- crowded
- headache
- cough
- Nasal Diphtheria : pseudomembranous extent on the nose / partial with serous nasal symptoms inguinosa secret, epistaxis, there pseudomembranous on the nasal septum.
- Pharynx and Tonsils Diphtheria : pseudomembranous spread more widely through the posterior pharyngeal wall with mild edema of the larynx that can be resolved with conservative treatment with no symptoms of high heat, lightly swallow pain, nausea, vomiting, bad breath and raised 'Bullneck'.
- Laryngeal Diphtheria / weight: Accompanied by severe airway obstruction that can only be overcome by tracheostomi with symptoms of severe shortness of breath, inspiration stridor, cyanosis, retractions are supra-sternal and epigastric muscle, larynx looks red, swollen, many secret, and the surface covered by pseudomembranous.
Nursing Diagnosis for Diphtheria
1. Preoperative nursing diagnoses
- Body temperature imbalance: Hyperthermia related to the release of an exotoxin.
- Imbalanced Nutrition: Less than Body Requirements related to pain swallow.
- Impaired gas exchange related to pseudomembranous
- Anxiety related to lack of parental knowledge about the child's illness.
- Impaired gas exchange related to an increase in whole due to tracheostomy, the cannula obstruction.
- Impaired verbal communication related to inability to speak secondary to tracheostomy.