Nokea
An elderly patient, Mr. Cruz is being cared for by nurse Bennie because of pulmonary embolism. Nurse Bennie would anticipate an order for immediate administration of:
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: In the scenario of an elderly patient like Mr. Cruz with suspected pulmonary embolism, the nurse would anticipate an order for the immediate administration of heparin. Heparin is an anticoagulant medication that works quickly to prevent the further development of blood clots. It is often used as the initial treatment for pulmonary embolism to prevent existing blood clots from getting larger and reduce the risk of new clots forming. Heparin is preferred over warfarin initially because it has a more rapid onset of action. Warfarin, which is a commonly used anticoagulant for longer-term management, takes several days to reach its full effect and requires monitoring of the prothrombin time (INR). Therefore, in Mr. Cruz's acute situation, heparin would be the most appropriate choice for immediate intervention to address the pulmonary embolism.