Cardiopulmonary PT Flashcards
PTA role in cardiopulmonary PT
Responsible for observing signs and symptoms, recognizing adverse changes, modifying interventions, and communicating.
Cardiopulmonary PT
- Treat patients with primary or secondary cardiac and pulmonary conditions that need physical therapy
- As a PTA, you must be able to reassess the patient as necessary. You will monitor the pt’s activity tolerance by taking vial signs before, during, and after treatment
- Clinical presentations of cardiopulmonary disease are diverse
CAD
Coronary artery disease
- atherosclerotic disease process that narrows the space within coronary arteries, resulting in ischemia to the myocardium (cardiac muscle)
- complete blockage causes MI
- syndromes: angina pectoris (typically symptoms of heart attack, sometimes independent), MI, and cardiac failure or CHF
CHF
Congestive heart failure
- heart is weaker than normal, blood moves slower and pressure increase
- heart cant pump enough oxygen and nutrients
- heart chambers wither stretch to hold more blood or become stiff and thick
- heart muscle walls weakened and pump less effectively
- kidneys cause the body to retain fluid and salt
- fluid build in the arms, legs, ankles, feet, lungs, and other organs
MI
Myocardial infarction - heart attack
- necrosis of a portion of the cardiac muscle, caused by an obstruction in the coronary artery
COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- progressive lung disease
- increased resistance to air movement
- loss of normal elasticity of the lung
- difficulty breathing during exertion, chronic cough, and sputum production
- changes in distribution of muscle fibers form type 1 to type 2, resulting in inefficient oxygen utilization
Asthma
- mild to severe, minutes or days
- dry, irritating, wheezing cough
- symptoms may include sever patient anxiety
Cystic fibrosis
Defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections, obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food.
Pneumonia
Lung inflammation
- cough, fever, shortness of breath at rest, chills, sweating, chest pains, cyanosis, and blood in the sputum
- occurs most frequently in the pt’s weakened from other illnesses
- aspiration and bacterial
PT for coronary artery disease
- exercises appropriate for the stage of cardiac rehab (progressed slowly)
- patient education: reduction of risk factors, monitoring vital signs before, during, after exercise, pacing activity for energy conservation, and functional training
Precautions for cardiac rehab
- Be aware
- Medications
- Need for oxygen at rest and during exercises/activities
- Dietary restrictions
- Stage of cardiac rehabilitation
Cardiac rehab
Specialized interventions for patients who have had MI or cardiac surgery (CABG)
- multidisciplinary - starts in hospital and extends into the maintenance phase - hay 3 phases
Phase 1 of cardiac rehab
- Takes place in hospital
- Patient edu about precautions
- Encourage family support
- Educate pt in bed mobility skills
- Ankle pumps to prevent DVTs
- Transfer training
- Gait training
Phase 2 of cardiac rehab
- Takes place in outpatient setting
- Edu for self-monitoring vitals
- ADLs
- Start arm exercises
- Treadmill activities
- Stationary bike
Phase 3 of cardiac rehab
- Takes place when pt is discharged from outpatient PT, continues in a community based program or voluntary program of patient’s choice
- Pt continues a fitness program and activities of his/her choosing in the community or at home
