Bed rest
Bed rest is a technical term from the nursing and medicine. It refers to the adherence to a lying position in bed and outside bedtime. Compared with the sleep takes the bed rest the whole day or several days.
The former practice of equating strict bed rest with protection and relief is today critically, because long bed rest without clear reason, careful monitoring and care can even be life-threatening.
A distinction is made between:
- Strict bed rest Getting up does not allow toilet on the bedpan, washing in bed
- Getting under the supervision and with limited duration.
Indications
Even today, the bed rest for a minimum period is medically sometimes useful or even mandatory. The critically ill patient will comply with bed rest often voluntarily, since he can not be more different. Here, the bedridden Represents the predominant problem
Some medical reasons for bed rest, are:
- In the early stage of myocardial infarction,
- In shock states
- In ventilation
- With pulmonary embolism
- In severe heart failure
- In extensive thrombosis with threatening pulmonary embolism
- Pronounced at risk of falling
- Unprovided with femoral neck fracture
- In unserved fractures of the lower extremities
- During the dialysis
Problems of bed rest
The bed rest brings some special problems. Very uncomfortable is perceived on the bedpan of the most affected the toilet. Here rather psychological reasons for rejecting a role to play. More serious are the real negative medical consequences of bed rest, especially if they must be adhered to for several days. Main problems of bed rest, the risk of thrombosis and circulatory insufficiency at the end of the bed rest. Other negative effects are:
- Risk of falling when mobilization
- Muscle atrophy and bone loss
- Bloating
- Pressure ulcers ( bedsores on the rump )
- Risk of pneumonia due to decreased ventilation of the lungs
Compensation
You can greatly reduce the problems of bed rest usually when you meet specific countermeasures. In the not too severely affected hydro- therapeutic measures, massage and Abbürstungen are recommended as compensation regulation. A bed bike can be helpful. Even if clearly needed bed rest should be broken up as far as possible, eg by adjustable beds, temporarily sitting in the chair, the toilet on the bedside chair under Helping accompaniment.
Contraindications
Even with some serious diseases in which earlier long bed rest, a standard of care was, one is now of the opinion that the bed rest brings more problems than benefits. So you will make you stand up a patient with pneumonia and a high fever when he wants it. If he is weak circulation, you will offer him support. Also in other diseases that are listed in the following, the benefits of strict bed rest is not given or is not detected:
- Prolonged bed rest in myocarditis
- Prolonged bed rest in heart attack
- Strict bed rest at low thrombosis