GERON LECTURE

SESSION 12
THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
-the respiratory system is the network of
organs and tissues that help you breathe.

The respiratory tract is divided into

two main parts:
1. Upper respiratory track (URT)
2. Lower Respiratory tract (LRT)
The respiratory system has many functions

-allows you to talk and to smell

-brings air to body temperature
-deliver oxygen to the cell
-removes waste gases
-protects your airways
 ASSESSMENT

Chest excursion Need for oxygen therapy

Activity tolerance
Auscultate lungs/breath sounds
Anxiety
Quality of cough • Rate and rhythm
Rib cage deformity
• Dyspnea, hypoxia, &
hypercapnia
Nursing diagnosis:
• Ineffective airway clearance
• Ineffective breathing pattern
• Impaired gas exchange

Goals:
1. Maintain airway patency with breath sounds clear
2. Demonstrate behaviors to improve airway clearance
Implementation:
Manage airway clearance
Monitor hydration status
Promote respiratory activity
Monitor oxygen therapy
Evaluation:
1. Patients maintain an effective breathing pattern
2. Patient’s respiratory rate remains within established limits
3. Patient indicates feeling comfortable when breathing
4. Patient reports feeling rested each day
 THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
The Cardiovascular system
-Pumps blood from the heart
to the lungs to get oxygen.
 Cardiovascular Disease (CAD)

-age is the greatest risk factor for CVD

-remain leading cause of death in adults
older than age 85.
-common cause of hospitalization and
second leading cause of death in adults
younger than age 85.
 Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)

-common cardiovascular problem

-caused by plaque build up in the wall
of the arteries that supply blood to the
heart.
 ATHEROSCLEROSIS
-the build up of fats, cholesterol and other
substances in and on that artery walls.
• -common condition that develops when
a sticky substance called plaque builds
up inside arteries.
 ASSESSMENT
A. Peripheral circulation, pulses, color, warmth
B. Circulatory status :orthostatic hypotension, hypertension.
C. Premature beats and dysrhythmias
D. Edema-decreased venous return
E. Activity intolerance
F. Dyspnea
G. Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs)
H. Anemia
 PHYSIOLOGY CHANGES OF
INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM
1. Kyphosis
-an exaggerated, forward rounding of the upper back
Differences in Assessment Findings
-altered chest landmarks for palpitate, percussion, and auscultation. Distant heart sound.
Nursing implications
-mobility impairments of ribcage
-increase biochemical stress on the spine
-increase risk of falling and fractures due to poor gait
-impaired physical function
 2. Heart
- is a fist-sized organ that pumps blood throughout your body. It’s the primary organ of your
circulatory system.

Differences in Assessment Findings

-cardiac reserve, heart failure
-difficulty in isolating apical pulse
-response to exercise and stress
-systolic murmur (aortic or mitral)

Nursing implications
-changes in body positioning from lying to sitting to standing need to occur gradually to
accommodate the less efficient circulatory systems of older adults
3. Blood vessels
-channels that carry blood throughout your body

Differences in Assessment Findings

-pedal pulses diminished
-intermittent claudication
-inflamed, painful, or cordlike varicosities. Dependent edema

Nursing implications
-special care should be taken to maintain good skin integrity and provide appropriate stimulation

Interventions for edema.

-elevate legs
-use non-restrictive stocking