Nokea
The health care provider prescribes an infusion of argatroban and daily partial thromboplastin time (PTT) testing for a patient with venous thromboembolism (VTE). Which of the following actions should the nurse include in the plan of care?
- A. Avoid giving any IM medications to prevent localized bleeding.
- B. Discontinue the infusion for PTT values greater than 50 seconds.
- C. Monitor posterior tibial and dorsalis pedis pulses with the Doppler.
- D. Have vitamin K available in case reversal of the argatroban is needed.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: IM injections are avoided in patients receiving anticoagulation. A PTT of 50 seconds is within the therapeutic range. Vitamin K is used to reverse warfarin. Pulse quality is not affected by VTE.
You may also like to solve these questions
The nurse is assessing a patient with possible peripheral artery disease (PAD) and obtains a brachial BP of 140/80 and an ankle pressure of 110/70. The nurse calculates the patient's ankle-brachial index (ABI) as
Correct Answer: 0.78 or 0.79
Rationale: The ABI is calculated by dividing the ankle systolic BP by the brachial systolic BP (110/140 â?? 0.78 or 0.79).
The nurse is caring for a patient on the first postoperative day after an abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. Which of the following assessment findings is most important to communicate to the health care provider?
- A. Absence of flatus
- B. Loose, bloody stools
- C. Hypotonic bowel sounds
- D. Abdominal pain with palpation
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Loose, bloody stools at this time may indicate intestinal ischemia or infarction and should be reported immediately because the patient may need an emergency bowel resection. The other findings are normal on the first postoperative day after abdominal surgery.
Which of the following patients in the emergency department should the nurse assess first?
- A. 62-year-old who has gangrenous ulcers on both feet
- B. 50-year-old who is complaining of 'tearing' chest pain.
- C. 45-year-old who is taking anticoagulants and has bloody stools
- D. 36-year-old who has right calf tenderness, redness, and swelling
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The patient's presentation is consistent with aortic dissection, which will require rapid intervention. The other patients do not need urgent interventions.
The nurse is obtaining a health history from a patient who has a 5-cm thoracic aortic aneurysm that was discovered during a routine chest x-ray. Which of the following symptoms should the nurse expect to assess in the patient?
- A. Back or lumbar pain
- B. Difficulty swallowing
- C. Abdominal tenderness
- D. Changes in bowel habits
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Difficulty swallowing may occur with a thoracic aneurysm because of pressure on the esophagus. The other symptoms will be important to assess for in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms.
A patient in the outpatient clinic has a new diagnosis of peripheral artery disease (PAD). Which of the following medication categories should the nurse plan to include when providing patient teaching about PAD management?
- A. Statins
- B. Vitamins
- C. Thrombolytics
- D. Anticoagulants
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Current research indicates that statin use by patients with PAD improves multiple outcomes. There is no research that supports the use of the other medication categories in PAD.