Question

Mary Beth plumber calls the medical clinic where you are employed to make an appointment for her 80-year-old husband Jim. Jim has been complaining of shortness of breath and fatigue Mary Beth has noticed prominent pulsations in the artery in his neck she also reports that his ankles tend to swell.

1. How soon will you set the requested appointment? identify the reason.
2. Is age a factor in Jim's condition explain
3. what dietary restrictions if any might be recommended for Jim

Answer 1

• Appoinment must be set as soon as possible since Mr.Jim is facing a medical emergency.The presence of jugular venous pulsations and swollen ankles indicate that the patient is having Chronic Heart Failure.This might lead to death of the patient if not rushed into the hospital.
• Yes, Age is a major factor in the case of Heart failure. A person older than 75yrs has 10 times increased risk of heart disease than normal individuals, due to atherosclerosis, diseases affecting the heart and conditions affecting the heart muscle.This reduces the cardiac output in the patient, and hence there is chance of heart failure occurring due to reduced blood supply to the heart muscles. Old individuals may also have a high risk of incidence of Diabetes and Hypertension which contributes to the advancement of Heart disease.
• Dietary modifications includes a cholesterol free diet, diet that contains less amount of fat and lipids to prevent Atherosclerosis,reduced usage of salt to prevent Hypertension and reduced usage of sugar to prevent Diabetes. A strict vegetarian diet can be prescribed containing green leafy vegetables and pulses.