My Project
The Problem
For my capstone we had to find a solution to a problem that was happening in the medical filed. For my project I decided to come up with a solution for infants/children that have respiratory problems. There are many children out there that have issues due to the their respiratory systems.
What most don't know is that symptoms of a lower respiratory system (which include the bronchial tubes and lungs) are more severe than symptoms that have to do with the upper respiratory system (which include the mouth, nose,sinuses, and throat). A viral infection that is common in the upper respiratory system is influenza. This disease normally lasts only 4-10 days but for some can be very severe. The most common disease of the lower respiratory system is bronchiolitis. In 10% of infants/children that have this viral infection may develop severe blockage of their air passages and must be hospitalized as soon as possible. A child with a lower respiratory problems is more likely to visit a doctor rather than a child with upper respiratory problems.
Infants and children can be treated for these problems but not with antibiotics. Antibiotics may cause a child to have an allergic reaction and may kill beneficial bacteria that affects the development of a child. Infants and children aren't capable of having asthma at such a young age but coughing,wheezing,and high pitched sounds when trying to breath are a sign that the child may have asthma somewhere in the near future. Other than having viral infections, allergic reactions, and asthma there are other causes that give children respiratory problems such as: exposure to cigarette smoke, swallowed or inhaled small objects, and genetic causes.
Infants are more at risk to develop or have respiratory problems than children that are older than 3. With that being said this means that infants have to be looked at more closely and be examined to see if they have either a lower respiratory problem or an upper respiratory problem. The severity of the symptoms play an important role because this decides whether or not the infant is in need of a doctor.
The Solution
For infants and young children who have respiratory problems their symptoms can be treated but for some it can be severe and it can lead to death if they're not being monitored closely and being treated for their symptoms. For others who have similar problems such as teens,adults, and the elderly there are treatments such as antibiotics,bronchiodilators, asthma medication,etc. but for infants and children that's a different story. For fragile and young little children they can't take this kind of medication because it's too strong for them, it can make them more sick, or worse it can even kill them. I think that infants and children should have this medication but in another form that's safer for them. For example a brochiodilator called ipatropium bromide is a commonly used drug used to relieve the symptoms of people with respiratory problems. My solution is that a far more harmless form of this drug should be created and produced to help those who are in need of it. I think that a form of this drug (once created) can really change the lives of many children and let them live the normal life that they deserve.