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The Effects of Immobilization on Circulation and Respiration

  • Chapter
The Immobilized Patient

Part of the book series: Topics in Bone and Mineral Disorders ((TBMD))

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Abstract

Any individual who has spent several days in bed has experienced the deconditioning effect caused by prolonged bed rest. When first resuming an upright position, the heart pounds, the head feels drained of blood, the skin becomes moist with sweat, and fainting is not uncommon. The patient feels weak with a diminished tolerance to exertion. One of the major advances in medical care during World War II was the institution of early ambulation after illness and surgical operations. The period of bed rest after repairs of hernias, for instance, was reduced from 2 weeks to a few days. Early ambulation drastically reduced the morbidity of surgical procedures which, as it turned out, had been due to immobilization as much as to the procedures themselves.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Washington University School of Medicine, USA

    Franz U. Steinberg M. D.

  2. The Jewish Hospital of St. Louis, USA

    Franz U. Steinberg M. D.

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  1. Franz U. Steinberg M. D.
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© 1980 Plenum Publishing Corporation

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Steinberg, F.U. (1980). The Effects of Immobilization on Circulation and Respiration. In: The Immobilized Patient. Topics in Bone and Mineral Disorders. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-3653-2_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-3653-2_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-3655-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-3653-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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