Ch.45 | Geriatric Emergencies

Geriatric Age

An individual who is 65 years or older

Chemoreceptors

Receptors that triggers us to breathe

Meniere Disease

• Hearing-related Impairment

  • Symptom cycles last several months:

    • Vertigo

    • Hearing loss and tinnitus

    • Pressure in ear

Menopause

Decrease in hormone secretion, especially estrogen

Pneumonia

• Inflammation of the lung fom infection by:

  • Bacteria

  • Viruses

  • Other Organisms

COPD

• Set of disease characterized by bronchial obstruction and airway inflammation:

  • Chronic Bronchitis

  • Emphysema

  • Asthma

Treatments for COPD

• Supplemental Oxygen

• Bronchodilators

• CPAP, only if the pt has had it before and assess BP + Mental Status

Pulmonary Embolism

• A clot blocks the blood vessel supplying the lung

• Prevention is based on risk level

• Risk increases with age

Symptoms of Pulmonary Embolism

• Classic Triad (dyspnea, chest pain, hemoptysis) is often altered or absent

  • If suspected, check lower leg for:

    • Swelling

    • Erythema

    • Warmth or tenderness

FFOA

Treatment for RVI

Acronym meaning: Fluids, Fentanyl, Oxygen, ASA

Right Sided Heart Failure

• JVD

• Rails

Delirium

• A symptom, not a disease

  • Temporary

  • Reflects underlying disturbance

• Characterized by:

  • Disorganized thoughts

  • Inattention

  • Memory Loss

  • Disorientation

  • Personality Changes

  • Hallucinations

  • Delusions

• Symptoms may mimic:

  • Intoxication

  • Drug Abuse

  • Severe Psychological Disorders

Dementia

• Produces irreversible brain failure

• Symptoms Include:

  • Short-term memory loss, short attention span

  • Jargon aphasia

  • Hallucinations

  • Confusion and disorientation

  • Difficulty retaining new information

  • Personality changes

Alzheimer Disease

• Most common form of dementia

• Progressive function loss with subtle symptoms

  • Losing things, difficulty recalling names

  • Losing ability to think and reason clearly

  • Forgetting identities and own experiences

• Symptoms may present as:

  • Confusion

  • Changes in personality or judgment

  • Extreme difficulty with daily activities

• Cannot be cured or reversed

Mild Cognitive Impairment

A stage of alzheimer disease where the person will experience:

• Forgetfulness

• Difficulty in performing more than one task

• Diminished problem-solving skills

Early Stage Disease

A stage of alzheimer disease where the perosn will experience:

• Language problems

• Misplacing items

• Getting lost

• Personality Changes

Progressed Disease

A stage of alzheimer disease where the perosn will experience:

• Forgetting current events

• Changing sleep patterns

• Difficulty reading and writing

Severe or End Stage

A stage of alzheimer disease where the perosn will experience:

• Can Not:

  • Understand language

  • Recognize close family members

  • Perform self-care

  • Interact verbally

Parkinson Disease

• Age-related neurologic disorder with two or more of these symptoms:

  • Resting tremor of extremity

  • Slowness of movement

  • Rigidity or stiffness of extremities or trunk

  • Poor balance

• Wide range of functional loss:

  • Dyskinesia

  • Dementia

  • Depression

  • Autonomic Dysfunction

  • Postural Instability

Constipation

• Frequent problem

• Should not be the initial assumption with acute abdominal pain

  • Investigate causes with high mortality first

Esophagus Issues

• Varices and alcohol use disorder

• Violent vomiting, large amount of red, uncoagulated blood

Stomach Issues

• Peptic ulcer disease

• Red or darker, coffee-ground emesis

Urinary Tract Infection

• The most common hospital-associated infection causing sepsis

• They are more common in women

• After age 50, risk increases for men

• Common Risk Factors:

  • Diabetes

  • Prostatitis

  • Cycstocele

  • Urethrocele

  • Kidney obstruction

  • Indwelling urinary catheters

Graves Disease

An autoimmune disorder that causes the thyroid gland to become overactive, producing too many hormones

Cellulitis

Acute inflammation in skin caused by bacterial infection

usually affects lower extremities

Osteoporosis

Loss of calcium and phosphorus