Exhibits
A nurse is preparing to care for an 84-year-old male client who is being admitted to a medical unit from a provider's office. The nurse reviews the client's medical records to prepare the client's plan of care.
Complete the diagram by dragging from the choices below to specify what condition the client is most likely experiencing, 2 actions the nurse should take to address that condition, and 2 parameters the nurse should monitor to assess the client's progress.
The Correct Answer is []
Condition Most Likely Experiencing: Heart failure.
The client presents with signs and symptoms consistent with heart failure, including cardiomegaly, bibasilar pleural congestion on chest x-ray, elevated BNP level, and vital signs indicating hypertension (BP 146/98 mm Hg), tachycardia (pulse rate 106/min), and tachypnea (respirations 24/min). Additionally, the client is prescribed medications commonly used to manage heart failure, such as digoxin and carvedilol, and is receiving a diuretic (furosemide) to address fluid overload associated with heart failure.
Action to Take:
Elevate the head of the bed: Elevating the head of the bed helps reduce venous return to the heart, decreasing preload and potentially alleviating symptoms of heart failure, such as dyspnea and orthopnea. It can also help prevent aspiration in clients with compromised cardiac function. Encourage intake of a low-sodium diet: A low-sodium diet is essential in managing heart failure as it helps reduce fluid retention and edema by decreasing fluid volume overload. Sodium restriction helps minimize fluid accumulation, which is crucial in preventing exacerbations of heart failure.
Parameter to Monitor:
Urinary output: Monitoring urinary output is important in assessing fluid balance and response to diuretic therapy in clients with heart failure. Decreased urinary output may indicate worsening heart failure or inadequate response to diuretic therapy, whereas increased output may suggest over-diuresis or improvement in heart failure symptoms.
Blood pressure: Monitoring blood pressure helps assess the effectiveness of treatment in managing heart failure and controlling hypertension, a common comorbidity. Hypertension can exacerbate heart failure, so monitoring blood pressure trends helps guide adjustments in medication therapy to achieve optimal blood pressure control and improve cardiac function.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
A. Wheezing in all lung fields may indicate respiratory issues but does not directly support the diagnosis of Excess Fluid Volume.
B. Pitting edema in bilateral lower extremities is a classic sign of fluid overload, which directly supports the diagnosis of Excess Fluid Volume.
C. An oral fluid intake of 2000 mL in 24 hours is within normal limits for an adult and does not necessarily indicate Excess Fluid Volume without other symptoms.
D. Significant fatigue for more than one month could be related to a variety of conditions and is too nonspecific to support the diagnosis of Excess Fluid Volume without additional assessment data.
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
A. Respond to ventilator alarms: Responding to ventilator alarms is important but may not be the priority if the client is not spontaneously breathing.
B. Report the absence of spontaneous respirations: This is the priority action because the absence of spontaneous respirations may indicate inadequate ventilation or respiratory arrest, requiring immediate intervention.
C. Encourage the client to take spontaneous breaths: While encouraging spontaneous breaths is beneficial, it is not appropriate if the client is paralyzed due to neuromuscular blockade.
D. Place the call bell within reach: Ensuring the call bell is within reach is important for communication but may not be the priority if the client is not breathing spontaneously.
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