heart healthy
General
Instructed patient that when traveling with an LVAD will involve some extra planning and preparation.When scheduling a trip, discuss your plans ahead of time with your LVAD team. They‘ll help you be as independent as possible, and still stay safe and healthy. They can also provide you with the necessary travel documents, as well as helpful tips. Understanding was verbalized.
SN instructed care giver that changing a patient's position in bed every 2 hours helps keep blood flowing. This helps the skin stay healthy and prevents bedsores.
SN instructed patient that High blood pressure makes your heart work harder than it needed to before. Over the space of many years, this extra effort can lead to the heart muscle becoming thicker and less effective at pushing the blood round. This allows fluid to build up in your lower legs and ankles, which causes them to swell up.
SN instructed patient about treatment of heart failure may include: controlling risk factors: quitting smoking losing weight and increasing moderate exercise restricting salt and fat from the diet avoiding alcohol proper rest controlling blood sugar if diabetic controlling blood pressure limiting fluids.
SN to educate patient on CPAP machine as follows: CPAP stands for continuous positive airway pressure. The machines help people with sleep apnea breathe more easily and regularly every night while they are sleeping. A CPAP machine increases the air pressure in your throat to prevent your airway from collapsing when you inhale. Patient admits that most nights he goes to bed with Cpap, but finds mask on floor after waking in AM. SN to advise patient of importance of wearing Cpap as follows: The CPAP breathing machine is used by people with chronic obstructive sleep apnea, a disorder which causes airways to close up during sleep. People with obstructive sleep apnea stop breathing while sleeping. When breathing stops the individual is suddenly jolted awake, gasping for air. Patient to deny any sleep issues lately. People with sleep apnea often do not remember these episodes, but instead experience chronic fatigue that they have no explanation for. Over time, sleep apnea can increase the risk of hypertension, heart failure, heart attack, and stroke. Patient verbalized understanding of teaching today. SN to continue to monitor.
SN instructed patient and caregiver on measures to relieve legs edema : elevate legs above the level of your heart several times a day. In some cases, elevating legs while you sleep may be helpful; reduce salt intake, salt can increase fluid retention and worsen edema; moving and using the legs muscles, may help pump the excess fluid back toward your heart.
SN instructed patient that people with heart and/or lung failure can benefit from energy conservation techniques like pace activities and spread them throughout the day/week, plan the day in advance so that you won’t feel rushed, break up tasks into small steps and rest in between, sit down instead of standing for most any activity, and work with arms below the shoulders as overhead activities are more taxing.
Instructed patient It will take 4-6 weeks to heal completely after surgery. During this time, it is normal to: Have mild trouble with short-term memory or feel confused or “fuzzy-headed”Feel tired or have little energy,Have mild trouble with short-term memory or feel confused or “fuzzy-headed”, Feel tired or have little energy, Have trouble sleeping. You should be sleeping normally within a few months. Have some shortness of breath, Have weakness in your arms for the first month, Have trouble sleeping. You should be sleeping normally within a few months. Have some shortness of breath. Have weakness in your arms for the first month
Instructed patient call your doctor or nurse if: You have chest pain or shortness of breath that does not go away when you rest. You have pain in and around your incision that does not continue to get better at home.Your pulse feels irregular it is very slow (fewer than 60 beats a minute) or very fast (over 100 to 120 beats a minute).
SN instructed patient / caregiver on the home treatment to treating edema, or swelling due to excess fluid in the legs and ankles. Treatment may include elevating the feet above heart level, wearing compression stockings and exercising the legs. Reducing sodium in the diet, losing weight and avoiding tight clothing can also reduce swelling.