Timby's Introductory Medical-Surgical Nursing Thirteenth, North American Edition - Interaction of Body and Mind Related

Review Timby's Introductory Medical-Surgical Nursing Thirteenth, North American Edition - Interaction of Body and Mind related questions and content

The client arrives at the emergency department reporting symptoms of heart palpitations, tightness in the chest, and epigastric pain after a stressful event. What system will the nurse correlate with the client symptoms?

  • A. Respiratory system
  • B. Autonomic nervous system
  • C. Cardiopulmonary system
  • D. Central nervous system
Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The nurse is correct to correlate stress and the symptoms, which stem from organs affected by the autonomic nervous system. Clients may present with heart palpitations, pounding headache, breathlessness, tightness in the chest, chest pain, chronic pain, irritability, epigastric pain, abdominal discomfort and bloating, or constipation and diarrhea. The respiratory system is affected by stress, but the client's symptoms do not correlate to the respiratory system. The symptoms extend beyond cardiopulmonary system effects. The central nervous system is involved in only the brain and the spinal cord effects.