Trombolism In Nursing Essay

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When a nurse is taking care of a patient with a pulmonary embolism or pulmonary edema, there is a very good chance that they are assisting an elderly patient. It is difficult however to determine the severity of these problems in some cases. If a patient is experiencing a pulmonary embolism, and are elderly, then they may not present with common symptoms (Sen et al., 2010). Elderly patients will tend to present with an increased heart rate, while chest pain may not be present (Sen et al., 2010). There may also be a case where in an elderly patient, they may present with delusions or confusion (Soysal & Isik, 2014). This type of presentation may not appear in a younger patient. Depending on the situation, there is the potential for thrombolytic …show more content…

It is found that in the persons of the age of 80, one of the most common causes of death is cardiogenic pulmonary edema (Bonomo et al., 2008). This disease in the elderly is presented with dyspnea and chest pain, as well as decreased stats. It is common for certain symptoms to overlap with other diseases, therefore careful consideration needs to be done to insure accurate diagnosis. An initial sign that there is something wrong with pulmonary function is the presence of decreased ease of respiration, which will be viewed by strained inspirations (Bonomo et al., 2008). There may be obvious signs of edema elsewhere that may signal to get imaging for pulmonary edema (Bonomo et al., 2008). It is important to note that the presence of pulmonary edema may yield the presence of a pleural effusion due to the relatedness of these two diseases (Bonomo et al., 2008). Pulmonary edema will have generally a rapid, acute onset with rapid painful breathing (Bonomo et al., 2008). In this case quick diagnosis and management of pain while providing supplemental oxygen is key. As a nurse it is important to inform the patient as well as family if allowed, to provide for optimal

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