These techniques will be discussed below immediately after this section. Some of these complications of immobility can be prevented with respiratory hygiene measures such as deep breathing, coughing, postural drainage, percussion and vibration. Immobility can also lead to shallow, ineffective respirations, decreased respiratory movement, and a decrease in terms of the client's vital capacity. Some adverse respiratory system effects relating to immobility include the thickening of respiratory secretions, the pooling of respiratory secretions and an increased inability of the client to mobilize and expectorate these secretions, all of which can lead to atelectasis, hypostatic pneumonia, and respiratory tract infections. These hazards of immobility can be prevented with range of motion exercises and in bed exercises such as isotonic, isometric and isokinetic muscular exercises. Muscles are adversely affected with weakness and atrophy as the result of immobility. Some of these joint disorders can be prevented with frequent and proper positioning of the client in correct bodily alignment, the provision of range of motion exercises to all joints several times a day, and the use of devices like a hand roll and a bed board to prevent contractures of the hands and feet, respectively. The joints are affected with stiffness, pain, impaired range of motion and contractures including foot drop which is a plantar flexion contracture. At times a tilt table can be used to prevent this damage by placing the client in a position of weight bearing to avoid these complications. The bones lose calcium as a result of the lack of weight bearing activity and this can lead to disuse osteoporosis, hypercalcemia, and fractures. The muscles, joints and bones are adversely affected by immobility. These bowel alterations are further confounded when the client is not getting adequate fluid intake. Gastrointestinal SystemĬonstipation, impaction and difficult to evacuate feces can occur as the result of immobility and the lack of exercise that is needed to promote normal bowel functioning. The complications and hazards associated with immobility and according to bodily system are described below: Urinary SystemĪs the result of immobility, the urinary system can be adversely affected with urinary retention, urinary stasis, renal calculi, urinary incontinence and urinary tract infections. Immobility can adversely affect all physiological bodily systems. Members of the nursing care team and other health care professionals like physical therapists must, therefore, promote client mobility and prevent immobility whenever possible. Immobility and complete bed rest can lead to life threatening physical and psychological complications and consequences. Many of these costly complications of immobility can, and should be, prevented whenever possible. The hazards or complications of immobility, such as skin breakdown, pressure ulcers, contractures, muscular weakness, muscular atrophy, disuse osteoporosis, renal calculi, urinary stasis, urinary retention, urinary incontinence, urinary tract infections, atelectasis, pneumonia, decreased respiratory vital capacity, venous stasis, venous insufficiency, orthostatic hypotension, decreased cardiac reserve, edema, emboli, thrombophlebitis, constipation and the loss of calcium from the bones, are highly costly in terms of health care dollars and in terms of client suffering. Identifying the Complications of Immobility
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