Introduction
The problem of arterial dysfunction was analyzed by a great number of researchers that tried to introduce discussion of the issues relevant to the treatment, care, and importance of the nursing practice. The current paper suggests a literature review on the topic of arterial dysfunction and health care with a view to the nursing practice and possible benefits of discussion of the articles relevant to this topic in terms of introducing methods of treatment of different variants of arterial dysfunction.
It is believed that the research on the topic of arterial dysfunction and possible treatments with attention to nursing practice would benefit nurses. It is necessary to analyze and discuss the modern methods of treatment and care of the patients with arterial dysfunctions. The most common belief is that nurses know all the ways of caring for patients, though they should learn everything as well as professionals of other spheres of human activities.
Problems and Possible Solutions
There are many sources in the internet databases which can help us to improve our skills and make our knowledge more sufficient. The current paper considers the problem of arterial dysfunction as well as ulceration, arterial insufficiency, and arterial dysfunction of the lower extremities, and other problems connected to the arterial dysfunction with a view to the nursing practice and possible benefits of nurses that would learn the materials discussed in the paper and ways of developing the skills acquired while practicing.
It is necessary to discuss why more people of a certain age suffer from arterial dysfunction problems. Becker (2002) argued that “As many as 20% of Americans over age 65 are affected by peripheral arterial disease; of those, only 25% receive treatment” (cited in Sieggreen, 2004, p. 52). As you can see, this problem is not attributed to young people without arterial dysfunctions. While the research on peripheral arterial dysfunction, it is necessary to emphasize immediate advantages for nurses that can attempt to learn more on the ways of treatment of such patients. The understanding of the consequences of treatment of patients with peripheral arterial disease may be beneficial for the nursing practise (Lewis, 2001, p. 45).
The intermittent claudication in the case of arterial disease increases the risk of mortality (Lewis, 2001, p. 48). Some researchers, however, have already contributed to the overall knowledge on arterial dysfunction and methods for treatment of this disease. It is not a secret that elderly population of approximately every country all over the globe faces certain problems connected to arterial diseases.
I believe it is important to know the symptoms of the disease to be able to help people. As symptoms of some diseases are similar, it is necessary to consider all possible treatments. Diagnosis and treatment are closely related to the health of the patient, “[d]iagnosis is often overlooked because patients and primary care providers (PCPs) are unaware of the disease in its early stage” (Sieggreen, 2004, p. 46). This means that if the disease is diagnosed in early stages, it is easier to treat the malfunction effectively, though some symptoms are hard to recognize. It is important to recognize the disease and to receive appropriate treatment on time. Because nurses spend most time with their patients, they should be aware of the symptoms and ways of treatment. The information presented should help nurses to recognize and treat arterial dysfunctions appropriately. The article suggests ways of assessment and testing and the basic symptoms.
It is also necessary to discuss the importance of introducing new products relevant to the treatment of arterial dysfunction. Nelson (2003) suggested that different types of new products are introduced to the market, though the experimental approach can neither deny nor support the efficiency of certain products compared with others (Sieggreen, 2004, p. 52). With the purpose of demonstrating a device which can contribute to the better treatment of the arterial dysfunction, such as peripheral arterial disease, Color Flow Doppler was introduced. Eze (1996) introduced the idea that a specific device which is necessary “to increase blood flow in the popliteal artery and at the tissue level” (cited in Sieggreen, 2004, p. 51).
Another way of treating arterial dysfunctions is manual therapy. According to Gross (2002), manual therapy can be used in order to treat cervico-cranial pain appropriately (Kerry et al., 2008, p. 39). Mitchell (2004) suggested that we can observe that the rotation can change the blood flow as demonstrated in many studies concerning the blood flow (Kerry et al., 2008, p. 40). Ernst (2004) argued that “A recent review suggested a 100% under-reporting rate, based on findings of 32 cases within the UK in one year, none of which had been previously reported” (cited in Kerry et al., 2008, p. 40). As argued by Kerry et al. (2008, p. 45), the risk of complications which can appear after using the manual therapy makes the implication of this method risky; besides, it is impossible to introduce this method into common practice.
I believe that all methods should be considered; sometimes it appears that alternative methods, such as manual therapy, can be more useful than traditional medical treatment. Identification of ‘at-risk’ patients is very important as well as implication of manual therapy into the common practice. As there are different methods of treatment for arterial dysfunctions, it is necessary to learn more about at least some of them in order to advance in the area of treatment of peripheral arterial disease or arterial dysfunction of lower extremities.
Conclusion
The consideration and discussion of problems with different diseases is very useful in terms of benefits for nurses and their practice in caring for patients with certain health problems. Different devices are introduced in order to help diagnosing and treating arterial dysfunctions. Manual therapy should be also considered as an alternative method of treatment of the arterial dysfunctions. As most patients with arterial dysfunctions are elderly people, it is necessary to take into account a sparing therapy which can contribute greatly to the overall effect of the treatment as well as the condition of the patient.
Reference
Lewis, C. D. (2001). Peripheral Arterial Disease of the Lower Extremity. Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 5 (4), 45-63, 96-7
Sieggreen, M.Y., and Kline, R. A. (2004). Arterial Insufficiency and Ulceration: Diagnosis and Treatment Options. Nurse Practitioner, 29(9), 46, 48-9, 51-2
Kerry, R., Taylor, A. J., Mitchell, J., McCarthy, C., and Brew, J. (2008). Manual Therapy and Cervical Arterial Dysfunction, Directions for the Future: A Clinical Perspective. The Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy, 16(I), 39-48