Several nursing students are ordering a poster on the mechanism of the heart.
What structure would they label as separating the right half of the heart from the left?

Choice A rationale

Determining the type of pain is secondary to assessing pain severity.

Choice B rationale

Intravenous opioids are strong and should be considered only after evaluating pain severity.

Choice C rationale

Administering acetaminophen without assessing pain severity first is not appropriate.

Choice D rationale

Asking the patient to rate their pain helps gauge severity, guiding further pain management steps.

Choice A rationale

A patient 3 days after surgery may still require higher doses of opioids for pain management, but the duration and intensity of postoperative pain typically decrease over time. This patient may not necessarily require a higher-than-expected dose compared to others.

Choice B rationale

Patients with cancer often experience severe and chronic pain due to the disease itself or its treatments. These patients may develop tolerance to opioids over time, necessitating higher-than-expected doses to achieve adequate pain relief.

Choice C rationale

Hypotension is a contraindication for high doses of opioids, as opioids can cause further blood pressure reduction. This patient would require careful dose adjustment to avoid exacerbating hypotension.

Choice D rationale

Patients with a concussion are at risk of altered mental status and respiratory depression from opioids. Therefore, higher doses are generally avoided to prevent worsening of these conditions.