The nurse, preparing a health promotion presentation for patients with respirato

1,3,4 -- Smoking and tobacco exposure are the greatest risk of damage to lung tissue, and should be avoided. Even secondhand smoke has proven to be as great a risk to lung damage as direct exposure. Due to increased efforts to breathe and exchange air in diseased lung tissue, additional calories are burned and moisture is lost with increased breathing rates. Additional fluids and calories are required for most respiratory patients. Pulmonary hypertension can occur in long-term respiratory patients due to pulmonary congestion causing a backup in the right side of the heart. Regular blood pressure checks should be done to follow the progression of cardiac functioning. Tissue that is damaged or scarred by disease will not become healthy again once smoking is stopped. Stopping smoking will prevent any additional changes to lung tissue from past exposure. Immunizations are needed as a preventive measure for all respiratory patients to minimize additional stress caused by infection in already damaged lung tissue. Therefore, all patients should receive the immunizations each year