Flashcards Cardiology 11-15 and 16-20 focused

A patient suddenly experiences severe chest pain and shortness of breath. As a healthcare provider, how would you strategically determine whether to administer nitroglycerin or initiate CPR, and what evidence would guide your decision?

• Assess the patient's responsiveness and breathing; if unresponsive and not breathing, initiate CPR; if responsive with chest pain, administer nitroglycerin.

• Immediately administer nitroglycerin to all patients with chest pain, regardless of responsiveness.

• Wait for a physician to arrive before taking any action.

• Only initiate CPR if the patient requests it.

You are tasked with educating a patient's family about recognizing complications of cardiovascular conditions. What strategic approach would you use to ensure they understand when to seek immediate medical attention, and what evidence would you provide to support your guidance?

• Provide clear examples of warning signs such as sudden chest pain, difficulty breathing, or loss of consciousness, and explain the importance of seeking immediate help.

• Advise them to only seek help if the patient feels slightly unwell.

• Tell them to wait until the next scheduled appointment to report any symptoms.

• Suggest that only medical professionals can recognize complications.

A hospital is developing a new protocol for managing patients with cardiovascular diseases. Based on the roles described, how should Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) be integrated into the care team to optimize patient outcomes?

• Assign APRNs to only administrative tasks, excluding them from direct patient care.

• Utilize APRNs for diagnosing, treating, and managing cardiovascular diseases, including performing detailed cardiovascular assessments.

• Limit APRNs to providing general health education without involvement in cardiovascular assessment.

• Restrict APRNs to assisting physicians without independent responsibilities.

A patient presents with symptoms suggestive of peripheral vascular disease. Using strategic reasoning, which specific assessment responsibilities should an APRN prioritize to ensure a comprehensive evaluation?

• Only measure blood pressure and temperature.

• Focus on auscultation for cardiac murmurs, assessment of peripheral vascular disease, and evaluation of cardiac functional capacity.

• Refer the patient immediately to a surgeon without assessment.

• Only ask about the patient’s family history.

A patient presents with symptoms suggestive of cardiac injury. As an APRN, you are tasked with confirming the diagnosis. Which combination of diagnostic tests would you strategically order and interpret to provide evidence for your diagnosis, and why?

• ECGs, echocardiograms, stress tests, and lab tests including lipid profiles and cardiac injury markers, because these collectively assess electrical, structural, functional, and biochemical aspects of the heart.

• Only ECGs, because they are the fastest way to diagnose all heart conditions.

• Only lipid profiles, because cholesterol is the main cause of all cardiac injuries.

• Only stress tests, because they are sufficient to detect every type of cardiac abnormality.

You are an APRN working in a jurisdiction that allows independent prescribing. A patient’s blood pressure remains uncontrolled despite current medication. How would you strategically approach adjusting their cardiovascular medication regimen, and what factors would you consider in your decision-making process?

• Assess the patient’s response to current medication, consider possible side effects, and adjust dosages or prescribe new medications as needed, either independently or under collaborative agreements.

• Double the current medication dose without further assessment, as this is always effective.

• Refer the patient to a physician without making any changes, as APRNs cannot adjust dosages.

• Discontinue all medications and recommend only lifestyle changes, regardless of the patient’s response.

A patient is recovering from a recent cardiac event and is struggling with both physical and emotional challenges. As a cardiac rehabilitation nurse, how would you strategically plan a holistic intervention that addresses both the physical and psychological needs of this patient? Use evidence from best practices in cardiovascular care to support your plan.

• Implement a structured exercise program, provide dietary advice, and offer counseling for emotional support.

• Focus only on medication management and ignore lifestyle or psychological factors.

• Recommend complete bed rest and avoid any physical or psychological interventions.

• Only provide information about surgical procedures without addressing recovery needs.

Given a patient with dynamic cardiac conditions post-pacemaker insertion, how would you reason through adjusting their treatment protocol in a clinical setting? What factors would you consider, and how would you use evidence to guide your decisions?

• Continuously monitor the patient’s condition, adjust treatment based on real-time data, and provide post-procedure care as needed.

• Use a fixed treatment protocol regardless of patient response.

• Discharge the patient immediately after the procedure without follow-up.

• Only focus on medication without considering other interventions.

A patient recovering from heart surgery is at risk for future cardiovascular events due to poor lifestyle habits. How would you strategically plan and justify a nursing intervention that addresses these risks, using evidence-based approaches?

• Educate the patient on lifestyle changes, including stress reduction, dietary advice, and smoking cessation, and monitor their progress.

• Advise the patient to continue their current habits and only return if symptoms worsen.

• Focus solely on medication adherence without addressing lifestyle factors.

• Recommend no follow-up or additional support after discharge.

A patient with heart failure is gaining weight rapidly and showing signs of fluid overload. As a nurse, how would you strategically plan and implement care to address this issue, and what evidence would you use to guide your interventions?

• Increase the patient's fluid intake and reduce diuretic dosage without monitoring lab results.

• Perform daily weight checks, monitor intake and output, educate the patient on fluid overload signs, and titrate diuretics based on symptomatology and lab results.

• Only monitor the patient's heart rate and ignore fluid status.

• Advise the patient to rest more and avoid all medications.