AACN clinical issues
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AACN clinical issues · Feb 2002
Case ReportsObstructive sleep apnea: recognition and management considerations for the aged patient.
Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) problems are estimated to affect between 2% to 4% of Americans with an even higher incidence occurring as one ages. This article focuses on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as a risk to safety and a leading contributor to interrupted sleep and disease morbidity in the aged population. Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by interruption in upper airway airflow during sleep that leads to oxygen desaturations and disruptions in sleep continuity. The symptoms, diagnosis, and initial management of OSA are discussed that provide direction for the advanced practice nurse who encounters patients with this disease.
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AACN clinical issues · Feb 2002
Case ReportsAcute care of the elderly units: a positive outcomes case study.
Acute care of the elderly patient is a specialty area of practice. The elderly have a spectrum of needs including physiologic, psychosocial, functional, and financial needs that will alter their response to physiologic illness and the acute care experience in general. ⋯ This elderly patient manifested a response to the acute care experience that was typical of his age cohort, including confusion and incontinence. Subsequent transfer to an acute care for the elderly unit maximized this patient's recovery and postdischarge placement.
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Pediatric patients are not just "little adults" and elderly patients are not just "old adults." The elderly patient experiences physiologic and anatomic changes that affect all body systems. Providing trauma care for the elderly presents a particular challenge. ⋯ Preexisting health conditions further complicate the picture. This article highlights some of the important differences in caring for an elderly trauma patient from resuscitation to rehabilitation.