Nurses's activities with laryngectomized patients

Karcinom grkljana predstavlja jedan od velikih javnozdravstvenih problema, a liječenje istog uključuje kiruršku intervenciju zvanu laringektomija. U većini slučajeva indicirana je totalna laringektomija koja uvjetuje doživotnu traheostomu. Istraživanja su dokazala da bolest uglavnom zahvaća muškarce nakon 40. godine života. Priprema bolesnika zahtijeva multidisciplinaran pristup liječnika specijalista, onkologa, kirurga, medicinskog tehničara, psihologa, logopeda i dr. Čimbenici rizika za nastanak karcinoma larinksa su najčešće: konzumacija duhanskih proizvoda i alkohola, gastroezofagealni refluks, infekcija humanim papilloma virusom, izloženost radioaktivnom zračenju i raznim kemikalijama, genetika i okoliš. Ova bolest se očituje simptomima kao što su promuklost, palpacija tvrdih bezbolnih tvorbi na vratu, stridor, kašalj, disfagija, bol u uhu, gubitak tjelesne težine hemoptoza i dr. Uloga medicinske sestre kao edukatora značajno utječe i na podizanje svijesti i zdravstvenog odgoja stanovništva te prevenciji nastanka bolesti. Logopedska terapija se svodi učenje novih metoda govora poput ezofagealnog, elektrolaringealnog i trahoezofagealnog govora. Do najčešćih komplikacija nakon operacije dolazi u prvih 30 dana po izlasku iz bolnice. U Hrvatskoj postoji veliki broj klubova laringektomiranih pacijenata gdje pacijenti mogu međusobno dijeliti iskustva i savjete.Laryngeal cancer is one of the major public health problems. Treatment for it involves a surgical intervention called laryngectomy wich conditions lifelong tracheotomy. Studies have proven that the disease mainly affects men after the age of 40. Patient preparation requires a multidisciplinary approach of specialist doctors, oncologists, surgeons, nurses, psychologists, speechtherapists, and others. Risk factors for laringeal cancer are the most common consumption of tobacco products and alcohol, gastroesophaegal reflux, human papilloma virus infection, exposure to radioactive radiation and various chemicals, genetics and others. This disease is manifested by symptoms such as hoarseness, palpation of hard,painless formations on the neck, stridor,cough, dysphaiga, painintheear, weightloss, hemoptysis and others. The role of the nurse as an educator significantly affects the raising of awarness and health education of the population and the prevntion of disease. Speech therapy is reduced to learning new methods of speech such as esophageal, electrolaryngeal and trachoesophageal speech. The most common complications after surgery occur in the first 30 days of the hospitalizaton. There are many clubs of laringectomized patients in Croatia, where patients can share experiances and advices with each others