Hinkle Chap. 29: Management of Pt.'s with Complications from Heart Disease

Which diagnostic study is usually performed to confirm the diagnosis of heart failure?

Echocardiogram

A client has been admitted to the cardiac step-down unit with acute pulmonary edema. Which symptoms would the nurse expect to find during assessment?

Moist, gurgling respirations

The nurse is preparing to administer furosemide to a client with severe heart failure. What lab study should be of most concern for this client while taking furosemide?

Potassium level of 3.1

The nurse is teaching a group of clients with heart failure about how to decrease leg edema. What dietary advice will the nurse give to clients with severe heart failure?

Avoid the intake of processed and commercially prepared foods.

The nurse recognizes that which laboratory test is a key diagnostic indicator of heart failure?

Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP)

A patient in severe pulmonary edema is being intubated by the respiratory therapist. What priority action by the nurse will assist in the confirmation of tube placement in the proper position in the trachea?

Call for a chest x-ray.

A client has been prescribed furosemide 80 mg twice daily. The asymptomatic client begins to have rare premature ventricular contractions followed by runs of bigeminy with stable signs. What action will the nurse perform next?

Check the client's potassium level.

A client with chronic heart failure is able to continue with his regular physical activity and does not have any limitations as to what he can do. According to the New York Heart Association (NYHA), what classification of chronic heart failure does this client have?

Class 1 (mild)

The nurse is teaching a client with heart failure about the ability for the heart to pump out blood. What diagnostic test will measure the ejection fraction of the heart?

Echocardiogram

The nurse is caring for a client with a history of heart failure and a sudden onset of tachypnea. What is the nurse's priority action?

Elevate the head of the bed.

The nurse is caring for a client with suspected right-sided heart failure. What would the nurse know that clients with suspected right-sided heart failure may experience?

Gradual unexplained weight gain

A patient seen in the clinic has been diagnosed with stage A heart failure (according to the staging classification of the American College of Cardiology [ACC]). What education will the nurse provide to this patient?

Information about ACE inhibitors and risk factor reduction

The clinical manifestations of cardiogenic shock reflect the pathophysiology of heart failure (HF). By applying this correlation, the nurse notes that the degree of shock is proportional to which of the following?

Left ventricular function

When a client has increased difficulty breathing when lying flat, the nurse records that the client is demonstrating

Orthopnea

When the client has increased difficulty breathing when lying flat, the nurse records that the client is demonstrating

Orthopnea

The nurse completes an assessment of a client admitted with a diagnosis of right-sided heart failure. What will be a significant clinical finding related to right-sided heart failure?

Pitting edema

A patient is prescribed digitalis preparations. Which of the following conditions should the nurse closely monitor when caring for the patient?

Potassium Levels

A client is admitted to the hospital with systolic left-sided heart failure. The nurse knows to look for which assessment finding for this client?

Pulmonary congestion

A client has been diagnosed with heart failure. What is the major nursing outcome for the client?

Reduce the workload on the heart.

The physician writes orders for a patient to receive an angiotensin II receptor blocker for treatment of heart failure. What medication does the nurse administer?

Valsartan (Diovan)