Successful Treatment of a Case of Chronic Respiratory Failure due to Pulmonary Fibrosis Associated with Collagen Disease by Administering Intravenous Drip Injection of Immunosuppressant: Importance of House Call and Home Care for Patient Receiving Oxygen / 日本農村医学会雑誌

ABSTRACT

The patient was a 61-year-old man. He was diagnosed as having dermatomyositis-pulmonary fibrosis in February 2005. Immediately home oxygen therapy (HOT9L/min.) and home visiting care were commenced. Since the patient had difficulty in breathing due to chronic respiratory failure, cyclophosphamide, an immunosuppressant drug, was given to him intravenously when a physician made house calls. The results were satisfactory.The Community Care Department of our hospital has a staff of physicians who exclusively provide home medical services and keep track of patients' health state systemically. Nurses in the Home Visit Care Station and the Home Care Support Center provide health services in patients' homes including nursing care and care of caretakers.The physician who visited the patient's home in this case belonged to the Department of Internal Medicine as a specialist of collagen diseases teamed up with the community care department staff to give home medical treatment using the immunosuppressant drips. This was a good example of the successful home medical treatment and care for a patient who was unable to go to hospital because of chronic respiratory failure.