Cardiovascular system

Cardiovascular system

The assessment of the vascular system remains to be one of the most prevalent encounters for nurses in a healthcare organization. Cardiovascular disorders are common cases in infants, children, adults, pregnant women, and even the elderly generation. Different people may exhibit different symptoms of vascular disorders. As such, nurses need to be highly skilled in conducting patient assessments to deliver effective treatment.

Structure and function of the cardiovascular system

The cardiovascular system is made up of the heart, blood as well as pulmonary and systemic circulations. Its primary function is to transport blood to all parts of the body through the blood vessels. Blood in these vessels carries oxygen and nutrients required by the body and removes waste products and carbon (iv) oxide from body tissues.  The arteries carry blood rich in oxygen and nutrients at high pressure to all body tissues while the veins carry blood rich in waste products and at a lower pressure (Raju & Madala, 2006).  It made possible by the powerful functioning of the heart, which serves as a pump to force blood to and from all body parts.

The heart pumps blood at high pressure and velocity in the arteries throughout the body.  The arteries have thick walls that are made up of elastic and fibrous tissues. The arteries break down into smaller and muscular vessels known as the arterioles through which blood can penetrate to the endothelial tubes and cell linings. They are, in other terms, known as the capillaries. These tubes are microscopic and are permeable to nutrients and cellular waste products and serve as exchange channels for these products (Shaffer, McCraty & Zerr, 2014).  Blood exiting from the capillaries is usually under low pressure and deficient of oxygen. It also has a high accumulation of waste products from the body tissues. The blood enters the venules which join together to form the veins. The veins are responsible for moving the deoxygenated blood back to the heart. At this point, the blood can be pumped to the lungs when it enters the respiratory system and then moves back to the heart after it has been oxidized in the respiratory system.

Health History Questions

Health issues related to the cardiovascular system may have different symptoms from one patient to the other. However, several common procedures can be adopted during a cardiovascular assessment. The first thing would be a formal introduction to give out one’s official names, credentials, and the kind of services to offer during the healthcare plan. The next thing would be to assess the patients’ health status by asking the patient questions relating to their health. The most relevant questions to ask the patient would be, please describe how you are feeling right now, when did you first begin experiencing chest pains? What best describes your chest pain, burning, stabbing, sharp or dull? Do you often experience symptoms such as dizziness, palpitations, or sweetening? How often do you experience shortness of breath? Are there activities that make your chest pain better or worse? Have you used any over the counter drugs to treat your condition in the past? Have you ever been diagnosed for chest pain in the past, when and what prescriptions were you given?  (Cucato et al., 2013)Do you experience pain and numbness, especially on the feet and calves? What is your current occupation? Do you engage in lifestyles, such as taking alcohol and smoking? Do you have anyone in your immediate family who has been diagnosed with a heart problem?

Objective data

This is the next stage for the health examiner after collecting the subjective data and is based on what the examiner sees, feels, or hears. The first thing would be to examine the auscultation with the health of a stethoscope. The aortic, tricuspid, mitral, and pulmonic sections of the chest are assessed during this examination.  It will help determine the rhythmic pattern of the patient’s heart to establish if they are regular or irregular (Cucato et al., 2013). It is also possible to tell about the rate of the heart to determine if there are any abnormal blood flows such as murmurs. One can also access whether the patient has difficulties breathing while talking, and if they show any signs of fatigue from their facial expression.

The next step would be to determine the perfusion of blood in the body. Palpating pulses makes it possible to tell if sufficient blood is flowing even to the extreme regions of the body such as the arms and legs. As one does this, the color of the extremities can be observed. Pink and warm toes should be an indicator of good perfusion. One can further try a capillary refill by pressing the toe and releasing it. If the toe does not become white and then quickly turns white, then it would be a sign of irregular blood flow.

Special procedure

Blood pressure analysis is a test that can be used to access the functionality of the cardiovascular system. Blood in the bronchial artery is examined using a cuff tied around the arm. It is then possible to determine the systolic and diastolic pressure. For patients with chest pains, the test should be conducted on both hands. It is because any notable changes in blood pressure between the two arms could be indicative of aortic dissection, which generally results in chest pains.

Adaptation of physical assessment

Infants, geriatric, and pregnant women are regarded as a special group of patients. They, therefore, require more specialized care and examination during any diagnosis or treatment. It is important to use a different approach so that one can acquire adequate information that will lead to effective diagnosis.

Infant/Pediatric

Diagnosis for infants and children is based on the information n giving by the parents and the objective data collected by the health care provider. It is, therefore, important to ask critical questions to the parent about the child before making conclusive judgments. It is important to ask the parent about the health condition of the mother during all her trimesters of pregnancies, such as if she suffered from hypertension or other diseases and the type of drugs that were administered. It is also critical to ask the mother if she has noted any signs of cyanosis whenever she is feeding or nursing the baby. Does the baby have ample sleeping time, and how many hours do they sleep in a day? Is the child physically active, and do they play or even eat without tiring? Is the growth rate of your baby normal according to their gender and age?  Do you have any family history of heart disorders?

Pregnancy

Pregnancy and the vascular system have a close relationship. It is, therefore, important for pregnant women with heart disorders to be under close monitoring (Vij, 2015). Heart disorder can affect both the mother and the maternal circulation of the fetus, which may have an adverse effect on fetal health. It is important for pregnant women who show signs of vascular system disorders to consult a specialist in fetal-maternal medicine, so ads to determine the possible risk of developing risk during pregnancy and come up with a care plan.

Geriatric

For elderly people, it is important first to consult if they have any history of heart disease, hypertension, or even coronary artery disorder. It is also important to establish the type of treatment administered for these disorders and the possible side effects that are caused by those medications. It is also critical to ask if the client feels fatigued, numbness, shortness of breath, and if they have a difficult time carrying out their daily activities (Franklin, Benton, & Parekh, 2011). This information can be important during the development of a care plan for elderly patients with cardiovascular disorders.

Major Disease Process

One of the most prominent diseases affecting the cardiovascular system is atherosclerosis. It is a chronic disease that results from the deposition of fat droplets and cholesterol in on the inner walls of the arteries.  The disorder leads to arterial thickening and stiffening, which hinder the flow of blood in the arteries. The resultant effect of the reduced vessel elasticity is increased blood pressure (Franklin, Benton, & Parekh, 2011). When the arteries are blocked, less oxygen will be passed to the body tissues. As a result, the heart is forced to pump more blood to the body tissues to maintain the homeostatic balance. It is achieved by increasing the heart rate and, consequently, the blood pressure. High blood pressure can lead to busting of blood pressure and may result in worse disorders such as coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction.

References

Raju, S., & Madala, B. (2006). Cardiovascular System. Anatomy and Physiology for General Nursing, 193–193. doi: 10.5005/jp/books/10049_11

Shaffer, F., McCraty, R., & Zerr, C. L. (2014). A healthy heart is not a metronome: an integrative review of the heart’s anatomy and heart rate variability. Frontiers in psychology, 5, 1040.

Vij, A. (2015). Cardiovascular System. Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry Made Easy for Nurses, 498–498. doi: 10.5005/jp/books/12633_16

Cucato, G. G., Zerati, A. E., da Rocha Chehuen, M., Ritti-Dias, R. M., Saez, G., Ragazzo, L., & Wolosker, N. (2013). Comparison between subjective and objective methods to assess functional capacity during clinical treatment in patients with intermittent claudication. Einstein, 11(4), 495.

Franklin, W. J., Benton, M. K., & Parekh, D. R. (2011). Cardiac disease in pregnancy. Texas Heart Institute Journal, 38(2), 151.