The human respiratory system comprises about seven core organs. The lungs are one of the key organs of the respiratory tract. Organs in the respiratory tract work hand in hand to keep oxygen flowing throughout the body with the blood as the conveyor. They also ensure that carbon dioxide, a gaseous body waste, is expelled, and they do this through the inhalation and exhalation process. Lungs are the primary place all the exchange happens; therefore, it all takes place there. Since the lungs perform this function, it means that any obstruction in the flow of air to the lungs can leave a devastating effect. Pneumonia specifically prevents the lungs from doing their job.
What is Pneumonia?
Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs. It can either be only one lung or both lungs getting infected. When the lungs get infected, the air sacs within the lungs inflame. Suppose the air sacs (also known as the alveoli) inflame, they also get filled with pus and mucus.
When this happens, it becomes difficult for the patient to breathe properly.
This infection can affect anyone. However, infants, children and adults over 65 have recorded more serious effects.
People who formally had underlying health issues are also susceptible to pneumonia. According to the CDC, 1.5 million people were diagnosed with pneumonia in an emergency department in 2018, in which most of them were adults.
Some symptoms of pneumonia include fever, sweating and shaking with chills, chest pains and difficulty breathing, nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting, fatigue, and coughing, which produces greenish or yellowish phlegm and shortness of breath. For patients older than 65, there can be signs of disorientation or confusion and a decreased body temperature.
Causes of Pneumonia
Viruses, fungi, and bacteria cause pneumonia. When these organisms enter the lungs, the body’s response is to inflame that area and fill it with mucus and pus.
Most times, when viruses are the cause of pneumonia, the effect is a milder form of pneumonia as opposed to that caused by bacteria. Some common causative agents are influenza, common flu, SARS-CoV-2, measles, and adenovirus.
The bacteria that cause pneumonia are ycoplasma pneumonia, haemophilus influenzae and streptococcus pneumoniae. The latter is the most common bacterial causative agent of the infection.
Pneumonia caused by viruses and bacteria is contagious. When other people come in contact with fluid from the infected person’s respiratory tract, they can also become infected.
Another major type of causative agent is fungi. These can be from droplets of bird droppings. The infection caused by fungi is not contagious.
Unlike popular beliefs, cold temperatures do not cause pneumonia.
However, an infected person can transfer the causative agent easily in colder conditions. We witness this in the case of Mazza v. Kensington Water Co.
The worker in question had been working in cold, wet and damp conditions for years. Asides from propagating the causative agents, working in such conditions long-term harm the immune system, therefore, making one more susceptible to viruses or bacteria.
Another example is the case of Pow v. Southern Const. Co. The plaintiff’s deceased husband, in this case, got exposed to adverse conditions in his workplace, which led to bronchitis or pneumonia, and eventually led to his death.
Also, in the case of Rodrigues v. Georgia-Pacific Corp., the deceased was exposed to excessive amounts of chlorine which affected his immune system, and made him susceptible to the infection.
Any client who suspects they have pneumonia should consult medical personnel to ascertain the exact infection before making presumptions.
Effect of Legal Animation on Pneumonia Cases
For a case that explains a medical situation such as this, a graphic representation of the lungs, bronchi, and alveoli would go a long way. We can also place a visual representation of a normal respiratory tract side by side with one affected by pneumonia.
Legal animation would be able to link the drastic reduction of the immune system’s strength to the contraction of a virus, fungi, or bacteria and how it’ll eventually deteriorate into pneumonia.
This information will help the attorney have sufficient evidence to support their claims.
An expert witness can also explain to the court the intricacies of how the lungs work through legal animation. Demonstrative exhibits of the various part of the respiratory tract and how the inflammation looks on it will further shed light on how serious or mild the infection is and its effect on the client’s overall health.
Furthermore, an attorney can show the jury the estimation of the effect on the amount of work the person does while scrutinizing the environment the client works in and how this increases the chance of getting infected by pneumonia.
In conclusion, going through these details, we see that using legal animation to bolster your point further and, as evidence, can tremendously impact the overall case. However, it’s best to seek the services of a litigation animation company experienced in creating admissible trial graphics.
