GERIATRICS Flashcards
What two important changes in the autonomic nervous system (ANS) take place with aging?
A decrease in response to Beta- receptor stimulation and an increase in sympathetic nervous system activity.
Why do geriatric patients have a decrease response to beta antagonists?
In the geriatric patient, the beta receptor has a reduced affinity for beta adrenergic receptors antagonists. Beta-adrenergic receptor agonists also show a reduced affinity for the beta-adrenergic receptor in the elderly.
An elderly patient is supine. This position changes to sitting or standing. Blood pressure decreases but heart rate remains unchanged. Why?
Gravity causes blood to pool in dependent extremities when going from the recumbent to the sitting or standing position. Heart rate does not change because autonomic responses that maintain cardiovascular and metabolic homeostasis are progressively impaired in the elderly. known as AUTONOMIC DYSFUNCTION
What is the most significant risk factor for developing cancer?
Old age
1 MET is equal to
3.5 mLO2/kg/min
2 questions to assess cardiac status
Can you walk up a flight of steps without stopping?
Are you able to walk 4 blocks without stopping?
When does physiologic function begins to wane?
As early as 30
Walking 2 blocks slowly is how many mets?
2
How do you calculate metabolic equivalent?
Metabolic rate of specific physical activity / metabolic rate at rest.
What happens to the response to hypercarbia and hypoxia in elderly
Decrease
because the central, carotid and aortic chemoreceptors are less sensitive to alternations in pH, PaCo2, PaO2 leading to increase risk for respiratory failure.
What happens to protective airway reflexes an upper airway tone in the elderly?
Decreased
Lung elasticity in the elderly is
Decreased
What happens with RV in the older patient?
Increased
Closing capacity surpasses FRC at ____in the supine and ______when standing
45 sit; 65 stand (At 45 you sit and listen at 65 you stand and raise hell)
Why does the TLC remains unchanged in the elderly?
IBecause of the increase in RV and reduction in VC
3 main respiratory changes in the elderly the increase? FRC
FRC
RV
Closing capacity
Main respiratory changes in the elderly the decrease?
Decrease Vital capacity
FEV & FEV 1 in the elderly
Decrease (loss of lung elastic recoil favors airway collapse during forced exhalation)
Most common coexisting disease in the elderly
Cardiac disease
4 most common condition in the elderly
HTN
CAD
CHF
MI
What is the best indicator of cardiac Reserve?
Exercise tolerance
Ability to perform physical ADLs
What is the most common cause of death in the postop period?
MI
What happens to collagen in the elderly ? What about elastin?
Collagen INCREASES
Elastin is lost
What happens to arterial compliance and venous compliane?
They are both decrease
Arterial compliance decreases , what does that cause?
increase SVR and afterload
Venous compliance decreases , what does that cause?
Changes in blood volume cause drastic changes in preload.
What happens to BP with aging?
Increase
Systolic FUCTION in the elderly***
NO CHANGE
How is Maximal HR is calculated
220 - age
SV in the elderly
Diminish ability to increase SV
Heart, SV and CO in the elderly
Decrease
What happens to the circulation time with the elderly? why?
Decrease; decreased CO
ANS : What process is associated with the NORMAL aging process
Autonomic dysfunction
NE concentration in the plasma, SNS tone?
Higher NE concentration in the plasma
Elderly response to catecholamines
Decrease
Autonomic function in the elderly is
Decrease
Few things that increase risk of hypothermia?
Shivering increases VO2
Increased blood loss
impaired drug metabolism
Vasoconstriction increase afterload.
MAC and aging: % and age
MAC decreases 6% for every decade after 40
IV induction dosage with the elderly
Doses should be reduced 30-40%
Alzheimer’s disease is a disease associated with
decrease Act