A little Med Surg tip for anyone who needs it

[freegirl]

I originally wrote this in response to a past thread but thought to put it up so anyone who needs it might read.

I tutor junior med surg students as part of work study, and I tell them to study up on the pathophysiology of whatever the disease is. Then they should try to apply various clinical situations such as what should be done if somebody showed up with an issue or a combination of issues, what intervention would take priority. If in doubt, apply ur ABCs. I think knowing the pathophysiology also helps you identify normal and abnormal signs and symptoms. With medications, its a lot but there are the basic ones like digoxin, laxis, the "statins", albuterol etc. Know the drug class and with the pathophysiology knowledge, u'd guess what is likely to be ordered in a situation.

I usually use cystic fibrosis as a simple example. It is caused by a defective gene which causes mucus and body scretions to turn thick, instead of being thin and slippery. With that basic knowledge, what would you expect to happen to the body, you might guess that the sweat pores are plugged, okay, besides that, what other organs could be affected and the list starts growing. With ur ABCs in mind, what might be a common problem and would need immediate attention regardless of all other issues present. Respiratory issues might be ur guess and a good one at that.

Lets say, u need to suction, using urself as an eg, u want to put sth down ur throat that might prevent u from getting air for a min or so, what would u want to do first, maybe take in a deep breath b4 and after, so that's why u would need to hyperoxygenate b4 suctioning and after.

Another simple eg-this time with BPs; BP goes down, pulse goes up to compensate & vice versa. just think inverse relationship. With that in mind, what symptoms might u expect or what other body functions might be affected?

In musculoskeletal, extension is basically to extend so flexion which is the opposite has to decrease the extension; abduction is to kidnap(take away), so adduction has to be the opposite (bring in). With a person with say hip replacement, what precautions would u take?

I tell them to write as they think as it helps to reinforce the idea(s). After reading a section/chapter, move the book aside and ask urself, what did u just learn/can remember about the issue.

[freegirl]

Correction- Heart rate goes up for low blood pressure compensation. Pulse would go up also initially

[Apollorn]

OOo good thread for Q's.

When I want a heart rate, I go for the apex. Why do they call that a 'pulse' site then? Because if BP drops, the apex would increase as a compensatory mechanism, no? Pulses, say radial for example, can be use to gauge blood flow to an area and also detect heart rate too, no?

[freegirl]

OOo good thread for Q's.

When I want a heart rate, I go for the apex. Why do they call that a 'pulse' site then? Because if BP drops, the apex would increase as a compensatory mechanism, no? Pulses, say radial for example, can be use to gauge blood flow to an area and also detect heart rate too, no?

Ur heart rate is how often ur heart beats. Pulse is the number of times the heart beats in a minute. The apex can also be used as a pulse site and it is called the apical pulse or apical impulse. It gives a more accurate pulse rate and is used when there are cardiac abnormalities/irregularities.

There are other pulse sites- radial, temporal, carotid, femoral, popliteal etc. Radial, happens to be the most common site for everyone to check but not always the most accurate. Carotid and apical pulses give more accurate readings.

[babskie]

so the question is where are you from?