The nurse is performing intake interviews at a psychiatric clinic. A female client with a known history of drug abuse reports that she had a heart attack four years ago. Use of which substance places the client at highest risk for myocardial infarction?
Marijuana.
Benzodiazepine.
Alcohol.
Methamphetamine.
The Correct Answer is D
Choice A reason: Marijuana may increase heart rate but has a lower risk for myocardial infarction compared to methamphetamine. Methamphetamine’s intense vasoconstriction and catecholamine surge directly precipitate cardiac ischemia, making marijuana less likely to have caused the client’s heart attack, thus incorrect for highest risk.
Choice B reason: Benzodiazepines are sedatives with minimal direct cardiac effects, unlike methamphetamine, which causes severe vasoconstriction and hypertension, increasing infarction risk. Benzodiazepines are not strongly linked to myocardial infarction, making this incorrect for the substance posing the highest risk in this client’s history.
Choice C reason: Chronic alcohol use contributes to cardiomyopathy but is less likely to cause acute myocardial infarction than methamphetamine, which induces intense coronary vasospasm and stress. Alcohol’s cardiac effects are more gradual, making this incorrect for the highest-risk substance for the client’s prior heart attack.
Choice D reason: Methamphetamine, a potent stimulant, causes severe vasoconstriction, hypertension, and catecholamine release, significantly increasing myocardial infarction risk through coronary artery spasm and ischemia. This aligns with cardiology evidence for drug-induced cardiac events, making it the substance posing the highest risk for the client’s heart attack.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is A
Explanation
Choice A reason: Offering to sit with the client provides empathetic presence, addressing the isolation of depression without pressuring activity. This fosters connection and support, critical for a reclusive, depressed client, aligning with psychiatric nursing principles for building therapeutic rapport in chronic depression, making it the most helpful comment.
Choice B reason: Inviting the client to the recreation area may feel coercive to a depressed, reclusive client, increasing withdrawal. Offering quiet companionship respects his current state and encourages engagement gently, making this less helpful and incorrect for addressing his immediate emotional needs effectively.
Choice C reason: Acknowledging family absence may validate sadness but risks dismissing the client’s feelings by justifying the situation. Sitting with him offers direct support, fostering connection. This comment is less therapeutic, as it may not address his isolation, making it incorrect for immediate support.
Choice D reason: Asking why he stays in his room may seem confrontational to a depressed client, potentially increasing withdrawal. Offering to sit with him builds trust without demanding explanation, aligning with supportive care for depression. This question is less helpful, making it incorrect for fostering engagement.
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
Choice A reason: Asking about other children shifts focus from the mother’s expressed depression and does not address her emotional distress or safety. Assessing for suicidal or harmful thoughts is critical given her depression, making this less urgent and incorrect for responding to her immediate emotional state.
Choice B reason: Journaling may help process emotions but does not address the immediate risk of depression-related self-harm or harm to the child. Assessing for suicidal ideation is the priority to ensure safety, making journaling secondary and incorrect for the nurse’s initial response to this mother.
Choice C reason: Asking about thoughts of harming herself or her child is critical, as the mother’s depression raises safety concerns. This assesses suicide or infanticide risk, prioritizing safety in a high-stress caregiving situation, aligning with psychiatric nursing principles for maternal mental health crisis intervention.
Choice D reason: Reassuring about milestones is dismissive of the mother’s grief and depression, potentially minimizing her distress. Assessing for harmful thoughts ensures safety, addressing the immediate risk of her emotional state. False reassurance is untherapeutic, making this incorrect for responding to her depression.
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