New Jersey Certified Homemaker-Home Health Aide (CHHA) · Client Conditions Knowledge Base
Cardiac and Respiratory Conditions
On this page 6 sections
In 30 seconds
The heart and blood vessels make up the cardiovascular system, the lungs and airways make up the respiratory system, and together they move oxygen through the body. Many home-care clients live with heart or lung conditions that leave them tired, short of breath, or swollen. As the plan of care and the nurse direct, a CHHA may take vital signs, help put on antiembolism stockings, assist with oxygen equipment, and position the client so breathing is easier. Any change in breathing, color, swelling, or energy gets reported to the nurse. The nurse decides what the change means.
Why this matters
Heart and lung conditions shape how a client breathes, moves, and rests, and a CHHA who knows what support to give and what changes to report keeps those clients safer and more comfortable.
The college version
In normal terms
- The heart pumps blood and the lungs bring in air, and trouble with either one leaves a client winded.
- CHHAs may measure vital signs, help with antiembolism stockings, and assist with oxygen only as the plan of care and nurse direct.
- Sitting the client upright with support is a common way to make breathing and circulation more comfortable.
Concepts in this outline
- Cardiovascular and respiratory systems. — The heart and blood vessels that pump blood, and the lungs and airways that take in oxygen, working together to supply the body.
- Common cardiovascular and respiratory conditions. — Heart and lung problems that leave clients tired, short of breath, or swollen and that need watchful support.
- Related changes to report to a nurse. — New or worse breathlessness, color changes in lips or nails, new swelling, a lasting cough, or unusual tiredness.
- Vital signs. — Temperature, pulse, breathing, and blood pressure, measured and recorded by the CHHA when and how the plan of care directs.
- Antiembolism stockings. — Snug stretchy stockings that help blood in the legs flow back toward the heart, put on and removed as the nurse directs.
- Assisting a client to use oxygen. — Helping keep tubing untangled and in place and following the nurse's safety rules, without ever changing the equipment setting.
- Positioning for circulatory and respiratory comfort. — Sitting the client upright with support or raising the legs at rest, as the plan of care lists, to ease breathing and swelling.
Eli explains
The same idea, in plain words
Explain it like I’m 10
Think about how mail gets delivered in a town. The post office collects the packages, and the delivery trucks carry them to every house. If the post office slows down, houses stop getting what they need. The same happens if the trucks break down. Your body has the same setup. The respiratory system is the post office. It is the lungs and airways. Its job is to pull oxygen out of the air. The cardiovascular system is the fleet of trucks. It is the heart and blood vessels, and the heart pumps blood to carry oxygen everywhere.
Common cardiovascular and respiratory conditions are the problems that slow this delivery down. Some clients have a heart that pumps weakly. Some have lungs that have trouble taking in air. Either way, the client may tire easily, feel short of breath, or have swollen feet and legs. The CHHA does not need to know the name of every condition. The CHHA needs to know how to help and what to watch.
One way to help is with vital signs. These are the basic measurements of how the body is running. They include temperature, pulse, breathing, and blood pressure. The plan of care is the nurse's written list of what the CHHA does for this client. It says when and how to measure them. The CHHA writes each number down and reports it; the nurse decides what it means.
Another way to help is with antiembolism stockings. These are snug, stretchy stockings that help blood in the legs keep moving back toward the heart. The nurse decides who wears them and when. The CHHA helps put them on and take them off as directed.
Some clients get extra help from oxygen. It comes through a small tube or mask from a tank or machine. Assisting a client to use oxygen means helping them keep the tube in place. The CHHA keeps the tubing untangled and follows the safety rules the nurse gives. The CHHA never changes the setting on the equipment.
The simplest help of all is positioning for comfort. When the trucks are struggling, sitting up straight helps. Pillows behind the back let the lungs open wider. Raising the legs at rest is another listed position. The plan of care says which positions to use.
Finally, there are changes to report. New or worse shortness of breath goes to the nurse right away. So does a bluish tint to lips or nails. New swelling, a cough that will not stop, or unusual tiredness gets reported too.
Worked example
Mr. Haddad has a lung condition and uses oxygen at home. When Simone arrives, she helps him settle into his recliner with the back raised and pillows under his arms, the position his plan of care lists. She checks that his oxygen tubing is untangled and sitting comfortably, and she does not touch the setting on the machine.
His plan also calls for his pulse and breathing to be counted during each visit, so Simone measures them and writes the numbers in her notes. Today he seems more winded than usual while walking to the bathroom, and she notices his ankles look puffier. She reports both changes to the nurse before finishing her visit.
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