Interferences to Oxygen Needs:

Head, Neck and Chest Surgery

Cancer of the Larynx

• Why is cancer of the larynx considered so devastating?

• What care would you plan for just knowing that the patient has laryngeal cancer? (hint: think psychosocial)

• What are the s/s of laryngeal cancer?• What are the risk factors related to laryngeal

cancer? What would you teach your patient about preventive actions?

• Is there any difference in prognosis between carcinoma in situ and well-differentiated cancer? Would this affect your plan of care for this patient? If so, how?

• Many patients undergo radiation therapy prior to surgical intervention. What are the nursing interventions for someone having radiation therapy and why would you do those things?

• What preop teaching needs to be done for the patient undergoing a laryngectomy? Does the type of laryngectomy affect what you would teach, how you would care for the patient?

• What are the major concerns regarding nursing care/assessments postop for the laryngectomy patient?

• What would you teach a patient who is on aspiration precautions?

• What patient education is required for the laryngectomy patient prior to discharge?

Lung Cancer

• Are there any parallels that can be drawn between lung cancer and laryngeal cancer? (compare and contrast, ie. s/s, etiology, prognosis, etc.)

• What are the common findings on physical assessment with someone diagnosed with lung ca?

• How would you provide psychosocial care for the patient diagnosed with stage 3 lung ca?

• What happens in each of the paraneoplastic syndromes listed in table 32-4, page 642 in Iggy?

• What are the various surgical procedures done for the treatment of lung ca? How do they differ from one another in the procedure, in nursing care?

• This is a pretty good explanation of chest tube setup/drainage. Go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I4bj0qwhM0&feature=related

• What are the nursing considerations/concerns when caring for a patient with a chest tube?

• What sorts of problems/issues would cause you to make an immediate call to the MD?

• Design a nursing care plan for the postop patient with lung cancer, with a chest tube in place, having had a pneumonectomy, for the patient undergoing pleurodesis.

• What are the nursing interventions for someone undergoing chemotherapy? Give rationales for each intervention.