A nurse is developing a plan of care for an adolescent who is experiencing a vaso-occlusive crisis. The adolescent reports painful joints, a fever, and abdominal pain. Which of the following interventions should the nurse include in the plan?

A. Administering an antidepressant: While medication may be part of the treatment plan, initial assessment to determine severity and safety is crucial.

B. Encouraging group therapy: Group therapy can be helpful, but assessing suicide risk comes first.

C. Assisting with ADLs (Activities of Daily Living): Helping with daily tasks might be needed, but assessing suicide risk is more urgent.

D. Ask the client if he is considering harming himself. Suicidal ideation is a serious symptom of depression and requires immediate assessment. Safety is the top priority.

A. Bradycardia: Bradycardia (a slow heart rate) is not typically associated with heart failure. Heart failure usually leads to increased heart rate (tachycardia) as the heart attempts to compensate for poor cardiac output.

B. Increased appetite: Increased appetite is not commonly seen in heart failure. In fact, children with heart failure often have poor appetite and may experience difficulty eating due to fatigue and shortness of breath.

C. Tachypnea: Correct. Tachypnea is a common manifestation of heart failure as the body attempts to increase oxygen intake due to decreased cardiac output and poor perfusion.

D. Tremors: Tremors are not typically associated with heart failure. They are more commonly related to neurological or metabolic conditions.