2004 OPEN FORUM Abstracts
ACTIVITIES, DYSPNEA, AND PREGNANCY.
Deborah Cullen, EdD, RRT, FAARC
Jackie
Reister, BS, CRT, Star Untersee, BS, CRT, Amy Moody, BS, CRT
Indiana
University, Indianapolis, Indiana.
BACKGROUND:
Physiologic dyspnea occurs in 60% to 70% of normal pregnant women on
exertion and 20% of pregnant women at rest. Few studies have been
conducted on ADL, dyspnea and pregnancy. The aim of this study is to
determine the level of dyspnea and activities during pregnancy.
METHODS: A convenience sample of 30 pregnant women, 10 from
each trimester , were surveyed with The Inventory of Functional
Status-Antepartum Period and The Oxygen Cost Diagram.
The Inventory of Functional Status-Antepartum Period survey,
by Dr. Lorraine Tulman, was designed to measure functional status
during pregnancy including domains pertaining to the continuation of
usual household, social and community, childcare, personal care,
occupational, and educational activities during pregnancy. The
Oxygen Cost Diagram (OCD) is a self-administered questionnaire for
activities at intervals corresponding to metabolic equivalents on a
scale. Compliance with IRB was followed.
RESULTS: See Table
1. Shaving legs and underarms, sleeping through the night, walking
distances, climbing stairs, or exercising activities were decreased
with mean scores of 1.57, 1.27, and 1.39 respectively on a scale of 1
(decreased) to 3 (increased). The OCD noted that shortness of breath
was more evident in trimester 3 with greater with uphill walking
dyspnea and bedmaking dyspnea. In trimester 1, 50% reported SOB
during medium uphill walking, whereas, only 27% in trimester 3 could
continue this activity to exertion.
CONCLUSION: The
activities that are most difficult for pregnant women are as follows:
walking distances, climbing stairs, exercising, shaving legs and
underarms, sleeping through the night, cleaning the house, heavy
housework, getting up with other children at night, bathing the
children, and caring for pets. The OCD determined more dyspnea at
lower levels of exertion in trimester 3.
We have concluded
that there is a change in the level of dyspnea and activities
performed by pregnant women over the three trimesters of pregnancy.
TABLE
1: PERCENT PARTIALLY OR NOT AT ALL CONTINUING ACTIVITY
| % Cleaning House | Heavy Housework | Bathing the Children | Up with Children at Night | Caring for Pets | % SOB Bed-making | |
| Trimester One | 30 | 60 | 67 | 50 | 80 | 20 |
| Trimester Two | 25 | 100 | 50 | 50 | 89 | 17 |
| Trimester Three | 91 | 100 | 78 | 70 | 100 | 36 |