Deck 38: The Aging Patient

Question 1

Although the improvements in increasing VO₂ max in elderly people are not clear,which of one the following is consistent?

A) Improvement in thoracic mobility leading to better O₂ saturation with lung expansion
B) Greater extraction of oxygen caused by wider arteriovenous oxygen content
C) Decreases in O₂ demands in the peripheral muscles
D) An increase in maximum heart rate

Answer 1

B
Maximum heat rate does not increase with age,nor does the mobility of the thorax.One consistent finding in the research is the greater extraction of O₂ in the skeletal muscles in response to endurance training.

Question 2

The increase in the work of breathing becomes greater as most people age.For a 70-year-old man,what is the percentage of the total oxygen consumption needed for the respiratory muscles?

A) 5% to 7%
B) 10% to 12%
C) 8% to 15%
D) 10% to 20%

Answer 2

B
The expiratory muscles perform the increase in work needed to expand the rib cage.Because of the increased work of the muscles,there is an increase in O₂ demand.

Question 3

According to the research in this chapter,exercise-trained men have a greater chance of which of the following whereas women do not see the same changes?

A) Stroke volume
B) Decrease in end-systolic volume
C) Greater left ventricular wall mass
D) All of the above

Answer 3

D
Research has shown men participating in exercise training have increases in cardiac output (Stroke volume x Heart rate),better ejection fractions,and more mass in the heart wall of the ventricles.Women have not been observed to have these changes.

Question 4

Physical therapists working with elderly adults may be more interested in the responses of frail or sick patients rather than a healthy patient the same age because of which of the following?

A) This is the patient population referred to therapy.
B) Healthier people tend to be more active able to function without assistance.
C) The sedentary lifestyle of many older adults results in disuse and often a decline in function.
D) All of the above

Question 5

Improvements in ventilatory efficiency after an aerobic training program are often attributable to which of the following factors?

A) Improved gas exchange in the lungs
B) Improved efficiency in the periphery
C) A decrease in O₂ consumption by cells in the muscle tissue
D) None of the above

Question 6

Diastolic changes to the heart that occur with aging include which of the following?

A) Prolonged myocardial relaxation
B) Decreases in filling pressures of older men with increased age
C) Increases in peak left ventricular diastolic filling rate in older men
D) Decreases in ventricular stiffness.

Question 7

Increases in functional capacity are seen in young elderly patients who demonstrated which of the following variables?

A) Were younger in age
B) Had a shorter length of training
C) Started with a lower VO₂ max before training
D) Had a shorter duration of training sessions

Question 8

The limited data available in aging populations may not provide an accurate description of the entire population in this age group because which of the following?

A) The studies are limited to people younger than the age of 65 years.
B) The studies are limited to mainly one sex.
C) The studies are limited to individuals who are healthy.
D) The studies are limited to those who exercise regularly.

Question 9

Elastic recoil of the lungs is dependent on which of the following factors as most people age?

A) The amount of type II collagen present
B) The amount of elastin present
C) The structure of the connective tissue
D) The strength of the respiratory muscles

Question 10

The decrease in VO₂ max is approximately what percent per decade for men and women?

A) 5%
B) 10%
C) 15%
D) 20%

Question 11

Which of the following is not a suspected mechanism of VO₂ max reduction?

A) Decrease in maximum heart rate
B) Decrease in cardiac output
C) Decrease in blood pressure
D) Decrease in stroke volume

Question 12

Cardiac output is the product what two factors?

A) Heart rate and blood pressure
B) Stroke volume and O₂ blood gas extraction
C) Gas exchange rate and blood pressure
D) Heart rate and stroke volume

Question 13

Telomere length relates to which of the following?

A) The ability of cells to lengthen during exercise
B) The ability of the cells recoil after initial stretch
C) The ability of cells to replicate
D) The ability of cells to repair themselves

Question 14

Postural hypotension occurs in elder patients when positions are quickly changed.This complaint of dizziness is important to physical therapists because of which of the following?

A) There is a potential for risk of falls.
B) There is less likelihood of stroke with decreases in blood pressure.
C) There is better response to exercise with lower blood pressure.
D) This is a poor indicator in the patient's willingness to participate in therapy.

Question 15

Chest wall stiffness comes with many related factors,which include all of the following EXCEPT:

A) a decrease in intervertebral disk height.
B) an increase in medial to lateral chest width.
C) changes in the rib to vertebrae articulations.
D) costal cartilage calcification.