Geriatric Anatomy & Physiology
As a geriatric patient ages, this structure becomes increasingly stiff, limiting chest expansion in the pulmonary system.
What is the thoracic cage?
This acronym will help providers in the prehospital setting recall key assessment themes when caring for geriatric patients.
What is the GEMS diamond?
This geriatric emergency is characterized by having expiratory wheezes, shortness of breath, and a prescription to corticosteroids.
What is asthma?
Pain is often under treated in this population
What is Geriatrics
Excessive Vomiting
What is hyperemesis
This cardiac condition occurs when the aortic valve thickens due to fibrosis and calcification.
What is aortic sclerosis?
When performing a physical exam, it is important to remove clothing only as necessary and keep a geriatric patient warm as these patients are more susceptible to this condition.
What is hypothermia?
This geriatric emergency is characterized by a tearing chest pain, sustained hypertension, and differing blood pressures of 15 mmHg on each arm.
What is Aortic Dissection?
This term, indicates the use of multiple medications, and is commonly encountered in the geriatric population.
What is polypharmacy?
Difficulty Urinating
What is Dysuria
As a geriatric patient ages, like other muscles in the body, the rectal sphincter muscles weaken, leading to this common paramedic finding of unintentional bowel release.
What is fecal incontinence?
What is the term for multiple chronic conditions that may make the assessment of a geriatric patient more challenging?
What are comorbidities?
This geriatric emergency is characterized by agitation, irritability, delusions, and hallucinations.
What is Dementia with Lewy Bodies.
This is the number one cause for geriatric patient requiring emergency care or hospitalizations
What is falls
The part of the nervous system tat consists of 31 pairs of spinal nerves and 12 pairs of cranial nerves.
What is the peripheral nervous system (PNS)
Geriatric patients get shorter as they age due to compression fractures of the vertebrae and this condition related to the spine.
What is narrowing of the intervertebral discs?
These changes in blood pressure are associated with increased frailty and may indicate hypovolemia or overmedication.
What are postural changes?
This geriatric emergency is characterized by tachypnea, tachycardia, Kussmaul breathing, and hypotension.
What is Diabetic Ketoacidosis?
Due to their reduced ability to thermal regulate and their overall reduced cold awareness, the geriatric population is more susceptible to what condition?
What is urban hypothermia OR accidental hypothermia?
The longest and one of the strongest bones in the body.
What is the femur
In geriatric patients, the skin may bruise more easily and appear wrinkled due to the thinning of which layer of skin?
What is the subcutaneous fat layer?
This condition may be mistaken for a chronic cognitive impairment leading to it being under recognized in both pre-hospital and hospital settings.
What is delirium?
This geriatric emergency is characterized by altered LOC, aphasia, slurring of words, and facial droop.
What is a stroke?
This common infection in geriatric patients can present as delirium or confusion.
What is a urinary tract infection?
6 Types of Shock
What are, Hypovolemic, Cardiogenic, Obstructive, Anaphylactic, Septic, and Neurogenic