Exam 2 Flashcards
Is the following ok: Opening the discussion with CPR/DNR, ask separately about every part of resuscitation.
- Not ok - Guide patient by developing the big picture (We are in a different place now.), talking about the care plan, making a recommendation
Treatment of chronic venous insufficiency?
Compression hose 20-30mmHg*** with open toe (older pts CANNOT tolerate heavier pressure compression!)
2 reason for failure of geriatric rehab efforts
- Poor communication
Delirium contributing factors: common and treatable
Medications (e.g., opioids, benzos…) Infection (UTI, Pneumonia) Constipation, Urinary Retention Uncontrolled Pain
Ratings of USPSTF
- A&B = eligible for screening, discuss and offer them to patients - C = clinicians may provide for selected patients - D = discourage use - I = evidence lacking
With what medication(s) is PTSD more highly associated?
- Benzodiazepines, esp in ICU. Patients report frightening memory of what happened to them during visit.
Value of gratitude in aging
- Find meaning in past, today’s peace, vision for tomorrow
Predictors of suffering
- Regret for past - Current marital problems - Little social support - Pessimistic attitude
Does implantable cardioverter reduce risk of mortality in geriatric population?
- In patients with LBBB, mortality reduced by ~30% - CRT with defib = increase in mortality
Pain, fatigue, depression, anorexia, early satiety, and delirium are always evaluated properly.
False. Often underevaluated and therefore undertreated.
Role of medical director in nursing home
- Setting quality standards - Ensuring compliance - Working with admin and director of nursing
Contributors to total pain
- Uncontrolled pain - Depression - Loss of hope and meaning - Loss of important roles - Terror re: death - Existential distress - Inability to trust - Unresolved guilt - Financial - Family conflict - Deep wounds from childhood
Beers criteria
- Improve drug selection and reduce exposure to inappropriate meds with older adults - Categories: drugs to avoid, drugs to avoid in pts with specific diseases, drugs to use with caution
Describe rehab process
- Physician or self-referral 2. Therapist: exam, eval, diagnosis/prognosis, plan of care, discharge 3. Communication: conference
3 treatment options at end of life. Describe characteristics of each.
1.) Comfort care: quality of life > quantity of life, maximal comfort, minimal side effects 2.) Limited medical care: selected interventions balancing benefit/burden 3.) Life prolonging care: maximize length of survival; quantity of life > quality of life
Difference between bunion and hammertoe?
Transverse plane deformity (bunion) vs. sagittal plane deformity (hammertoe)
Eye changes at EOL
- Loss of retro-orbital fat pad - Insufficient eyelid length - Conjunctival exposure =dryness, pain
ICF model
- Use model when deciding on managing and treating health conditions, which looks at interplay bw: - Body function and structures - Activities - Participation - Contextual factors
Components of functional assessment in elderly for geri rehab
- ADLs - IADLs - Mobility
USPTF recommendation for osteoporosis screening
B: women >=65
I: men
Principles of rx drugs in older patients
- Start with low dose - Titrate upward slowly as tolerated - Avoid starting 2 drugs at the same time
What is the story about acid suppression and pneumonia?
Ek weet ‘n bliksem nie
True/False. Acute care should occur while palliative care is occurring.
- True
Signs/symptoms that require diligence (prevention/treatment) day or two before death
- Respiratory tract secretions - Pain - Dyspnea - Restlessness - Agitation
Compare and contrast features of body shutting down vs starvation
1.) Body shutting down - Loss of body fluid, electrolyte changes - Decreased blood flow/o2 to GI - Absence of hunger sensation 2.) Starvation - Lack of nutrition - Physiological homeostasis - Hunger
USPTF recommendation for colon cancer screening
- A: 50-75 using FOBT, sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy - D: >=85
3 responses by patient to transition conversation. Strategies for physician?
1.) Accept transition is occurring: specified EOL planning 2.) Want to negotiate: discuss with family, look at disease progression, limited time trial 3.) Decline the clinician’s assessment: prospect is too sad/frightening/threatening for patient – pay attention to emotional data here, help explore feelings (“More time”)
General measures for dyspnea treatment
-Reposition the patient (upright or compromised lung down) -Provide skin care for the buttocks -Improve air circulation with draft, properly adjusted humidity, and avoidance of strong odors -Address anxiety and provide reassurance -Consider rehabilitative strategies such as relaxation and retraining breathing -Discuss any patient, family, or staff concerns about using opioids
Conversational approach to assessing spirituality
1.) Individual’s sense of crisis: disruption, discomfort, disfigurement, disability, death 2.) Spiritual connections: connected, unconnected, disconnected 3.) Care gates: awareness of holy, sense of providence, sense of faith, sense of grace, sense of repentance, sense of communion, sense of vocation – this is opened by patient
Does suffering need to be fixed?
- Does not
% of individuals 65+ with chronic condition
- > 80%
Strategies to support/build hope
- Effectively control pain - Develop relationships - Set attainable goals - Support spirituality - Affirm pts worth - Humor - Reminisce
Steps in communicating serious news
- ASK-TELL-ASK - Establish patient understanding, determine how much patient wants to know - Deliver info (include warning shot) - Respond to feelings, ascertain understanding, organize plan/follow-up
Numbness and tingling might suggest…
DM B12 deficiency Thyroid disease Alcoholism
Common signs and symptoms of imminent death 1-2 weeks
- Altered state of consciousness - Dreams, visions, conversing with seen/unseen - Restless, agitated, wanting up/down - May want to remove clothing - Maybe quiet, resting deeply - Eyes appear unfocused/dreamy - Sleeping, waking hours prolonged - Not eating, maybe drinking - May request an occasional meal
How to reassure families when they say we are dehydrating their loved one at end of life?
- Dehydration does not cause distress - Dehydration may be protective - Parenteral fluids harmful (fluid overload, breathlessness, cough, secretions) – wet death worse than dry death
Components of CGA. What does each address?
1.) Medical assessment: problem list, comorbidities, disease severity, med review, nutritional status 2.) Assessment of function: ADLs, IADLs, activity/exercise status, gait/balance 3.) Psychosocial assessment: cognitive testing, mood/depression testing 4.) Social assessment: support needs and assets 5.) Environmental assessment: home safety
Risk factor for colon cancer
- AA men
Where do most deaths in America occur?
- At home
Suffering and meaning per Frankl
- Meaning central to suffering. Pain and privation insufficient to explain suffering and can be endured if for a purpose.
Clinical treatment of loss of ability to swallow at EOL
- Scopolamine to dry secretion - Postural - Positioning - Suctioning (rarely) – secretions come back and injury possible
Percent of peripheral neuropathy that does not have identifiable etiology? Percent of DM neuropathy causes by something other than hyperglycemia?
40% 10%
USPTF recommendation for breast cancer screening, AGS recommendation
1.) USPTF - B: biennial mammography (film) women 50-74 - D: BSE teaching - I: 75+, clinical breast exam in women 40+, digital or MRI 2.) AGS - Annual or biennial mammography until 75 - After 75, q 2-3 years with no upper age limit with estimated life expectancy of 4+ years - No evidence to support CBE or BSE
Ramification of weakness/fatigue in dying
- Increase risk of pressure ulcers, need for care (ADLs)
The usual vs difficult road to death
- Usual: sleepy – lethargic – obtunded – semicomatose – comatose – death - Difficult: restless – confused – tremulous – hallucinations – mumbling delirium – myoclonic jerks – seizures – semicomatose – comatose – death
Recommendations from home assessment visit
1.) Re-assign rooms 2.) Movement and removal of furniture/appliances 3.) Purchase and installation of adaptive / assistive equipment 4.) Suggestion of outside services
Risk factors for prostate cancer
- First degree relative hx - AA
What is Xerosis highly likely to be in the elderly? Test to dx?
Chronic athlete’s foot (tinea pedis) infection. KOH test, look for diagnostic fungal hypha (filament).
What is hyperkeratosis? Complications?
Intermittent pressure over prominent bones (due to shoes) leads to thickened skin. Only hard stratum corneum can reproduce. Dermis breaks down into ulcer. Bones become prominent due to toe contractures and/or loss of fat padding on ball of foot. Pressure on bone leads to skin b/d. Complication: deeper skin ulcerations may develop if pressure becomes continuous. Corns on tips of toes with ulcer underneath are close to nails; bacteria jump on bone osteomyelitis.
Three main areas of non-pain symptoms
Disease process Treatment of disease process Symptoms from co-morbidities
True or false: Palliative medicine patients are polysymptomatic.
True. Advanced cancer patients have 10-13 symptoms.
Obstacles to hospice
- Late referral = main obstacle - Difficulty with prognosis - Lack of family support - Limited access
Relationship between activity and function. Result of bedrest?
- Cornerstone of rehab, decreased activity = decreased function - B: bladder/bowel incontinence, bedsores - E: emotional distress - D: deconditioning, depression, demineralization - R: ROM loss - E: energy depletion - S: sensory deprivation - T: trouble
Suffering according to Cassell
- Suffering occurs when threat to integrity of person is perceived, persists till integrity of person reestablished
Thick, yellow nails can be due to (8)? (KNOW THESE)
TOE CLYPT acronym T: trauma O: onychomycosis E: eczema C: circulatory problems L: lichen planus Y: yellow nail syndrome P: psoriasis T: tumor
Symptom distress is not always in proportion to severity.
True. Example given was “if they have a lot of nausea and vomiting, they are less likely to complain about a lesser symptom such as fatigue”
Recommendations for lung cancer screening of geriatrics patients
- USPTF recommends annual low-dose CT scan for high-risk (30 pack-years) smoking, current smoker or those who quit smoking within the last 15 years. - Age group 55-80 - 74 upper age for Natl Lung Screening Trial
Reframing requests for ANH – go over it
Do it
Components of health care responses to suffering
- Self-assessment - Self-reflection - Self-care
Protein family involved in drug interactions
- Cytochrome P450
Patient types with regards to receptiveness to information regarding prognosis. Strategies for physician?
- Want explicit discussion with info: provide info, acknowledge rxn to news explicitly, check for understanding - Don’t want info: elicit and understand why patient doesn’t want to know, acknowledge concerns, ask to revisit topic, make private assessment about this info changing their decision making - Ambivalent: name ambivalence, explore pros/cons knowing, acknowledge difficulty of situation, consider outlining options for discussion and consequences
Medical care challenges in a nursing home
- Heterogenous residents = individualized approach - Atypical presentation of illness - Limited access to biotech - Non-physician dependence for pt evals - High prevalence of cognitive impairment - Need to involve families in education and psych support - Ethical concerns (EOL, hydration, feeding etc) - Regulatory oversight
Factors associated with nursing home placement
- Increasing age - Low income and low social activity - Poor family support - Accepting attitude toward nursing homes - Cognitive and functional impairment
What is the national consensus project?
- 12 key elements of palliative care
What is paronychia? Cause, treatment?
Infected nail border. Cause: Staph aureus is the most common pathogen. Assume methicillin sensitive. Conservative treatment: 5-7 days of soaking in warm, soapy water. Betadine solution + Band-Aid. Antibiotic: Cephalexin (Keflex) Surgical treatment: I &D – Anesthetize first!, Bid soaks and Betadine solution. Cephalexin.
Reversible causes of anorexia (mnemonic)
Aches and Pains Nausea and gastrointestinal dysfunction Oral candidiasis Reactive (or organic) depression Evacuation problems (constipation, retention) Xerostomia (dry mouth) Iatrogenic (radiation, chemotherapy, drugs) Acid-related problems (gastritis, peptic ulcers)
Physiological changes during the dying process
- Increasing weakness, fatigue - Decreasing appetite, fluid intake - Decreasing blood perfusion - Neurological dysfunction - Pain - Loss of ability to close eyes
% of individuals 65+ with difficulty with ADLs
- > 50%
From where (what location) do most nursing home admits take place?
- Acute care hospital
Dyspnea: definition, general characteristics
Definition: discomfort in breathing, breathlessness, shortness of breath, work of breathing General characteristics: can be a subjective sensation (many different factors), shows up in at least 50% of cases of most diseases, tends to worsen as death approaches
Value of forgiving
- BP reduction - Sleep improvement - Stress reduction - Fight off illness - Decrease risk of chronic dz - Helps control anger - Understand others action
Malignant bowel obstruction: general characteristics
Found in up to 50% of patients with ovarian and GI patients; median survival of 3 months, high symptom burden (N/V, colic, and abdominal pain)
Cases of dyspnea (mnemonic)
BREATH AIR: Bronchospasm, Rales, Effusion, Airway obstruction, Thick secretions, Hemoglobin low, Anxiety, Interpersonal issues, Religious Concerns (last 3 nonphysical)
With what virus is temporal arteritis possibly associated in elderly?
- VZV
Goals of care with serious illness
- Control pain and other distressing symptoms - Alleviate psychosocial problems - Communicate effectively - Provide empathetic presence - Foster realistic hope
Most common cause of geriatric trauma
- Falls - Low speed MVA (usually left hand turn into oncoming traffic about 1 mile from home)
Anorexia treatment
Appetite stimulants (serious side effects), artificial nutrition and hydration (ANH) such as enteral feedings (tube) or parenteral feeding (TPN) – benefits hard to identify with ANH
Percentage of elderly with nutrition problems? What is red flag to look for during H&P?
- up to 30% - Weight loss > 10% in previous 6 months
What period of time is most common for nursing home stay?
- > 90 days = ~80%
Death rates of breast cancer in women over 65
- More than half of breast cancer deaths occur in women over 65
What is a hammertoe? Treatment?
Buckling of the toe at the PIPJ and/or DIPJ of lesser toes. Due to tendon imbalance around the lesser toe joints. Causes one bone to dorsiflex and those distal to it to plantar flex. Common in flat and high arched feet. Treatment: debridement of hyperkeratotic tissue, paddings to limit pressure, splints to passively plantar flex toe, extra-depth or custom molded shoes
Name 3 similar-looking causes of dry skin.
Tinea pedis (athlete’s foot) Psoriasis Eczema
Signs/symptoms of neurological dysfunction at EOL
- Decreasing LOC - Communication with unconscious patient - Terminal delirium - Changes of respiration - Loss of ability to swallow, sphincter control
Omnibus budget reconciliation act (OBRA)
- Set training and staffing requirements for nursing homes - Resident’s rights: limit use of restraints, limit use of psychoactive meds - Initiated MDS: minimum data set (periodic clinical assessment of all residents – quality measures for pain, ulcers, weight loss etc.) - Meds: Documentation of all meds, particularly psychoactive; monthly eval by pharmacist; no unnecessary drugs; gradual reduction of psychoactive drugs unless contraindicated and well documented
How can one assess function by observation during CGA?
- Did patient fill out questionnaire? - Observe patient walk, getting on exam table - What detail does patient give in history? Do they give the history themselves?
Most important skill for physician to acquire when giving serious news
- Ability to recognize and respond to the patient’s emotions
What is onychocryptosis? Cause, symptoms, tx?
Ingrown nail. Sometimes with secondary bacterial infection. Cause: improper nail trimming, trauma, heredity, systemic or local disease. *Nails should be cut straight across only if nails are normal to begin with. Tx: Remove distal corner. Some pts do okay with leaving in-grown nails left longer than normal.
Types of vascular disease in the elderly? What happens? Where do we see it first?
Deterioration in the structure of arteries and veins leads to atherosclerosis in arteries and malfunctioning of valves in veins (chronic venous insufficiency). Veins lose elasticity, valves don’t work, can’t prevent backflow, leads to hypoxia in vessels, tissue ischemia, ulcerations, foot breakdown, gangrene. (*accelerated by DM) Foot shoes arterial disease. Ankle shoes venous diseases. (Because circulation is worst.)