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The nurse is caring for a client who has had cardiothoracic surgery, and the nurse is palpating the peripheral pulses. The nurse cannot palpate the left lower extremity pulse. What is the first action by the nurse?
- A. Call the physician.
- B. Call the charge nurse.
- C. Apply a vasodilator such as nitroglycerin cream on the skin surface and then palpate.
- D. Use a Doppler ultrasound device.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Palpate the peripheral pulses or use a Doppler ultrasound device if the pulses are not palpable. Prior to calling the physician or notifying the charge nurse, attempt to use the Doppler, and then, if no pulse is heard, the nurse may notify either. Administration of medications without a physician's prescription is contraindicated.
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A client had a cardiac transplant 6 weeks ago. The client calls the clinic and informs the nurse he has a fever of $101^{\circ} \mathrm{F}$, chest tenderness, and flulike symptoms. What does the nurse suspect the client is experiencing?
- A. Hyperacute rejection
- B. Acute rejection
- C. Chronic rejection
- D. Subacute rejection
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Acute rejection occurs from 1 week to 3 months after the transplant; almost all transplant recipients experience acute rejection to some degree. Hyperacute rejection is rare and occurs within a few minutes of the transplant when the donor organ and recipient are extremely mismatched. Chronic rejection may occur at any time over the remaining lifetime of a recipient, causing varying degrees of damage to the donor heart. Subacute rejection is not a classification of rejection.
The client will be having a surgical procedure that does not use cardiopulmonary bypass, and the surgeon keeps the heart at a rate of 40 beats/minute. What surgical procedure does the nurse anticipate preparing the client for?
- A. Port access coronary artery bypass (PACAB)
- B. Heart transplant
- C. Coronary artery bypass grafting
- D. Off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB)
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: OPCAB is very similar to conventional CABG except that it does not involve the use of a cardiopulmonary bypass machine. Instead, the surgeon keeps the heart beating at a slow rate (about 40 beats/minute) with drugs such as adenosine and esmolol. The other answers require cardiopulmonary bypass.
The nurse is preparing a client for coronary artery bypass surgery. What vessel does the nurse know is most commonly used for grafting?
- A. Saphenous vein
- B. Basilic vein
- C. Radial artery
- D. Gastroepiploic artery
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The saphenous vein in the leg is the vessel most often used for grafting in coronary artery bypass. The basilic vein in the arm, radial artery in the arm, and gastroepiploic artery from the stomach are alternative graft vessels.
When discussing the nursing process, the instructor stresses that for clients undergoing cardiac surgery, it is important for the nurse to demonstrate competence. What is the rationale for this statement?
- A. To acknowledge the client's emotion
- B. To encourage verbal conversation
- C. To relieve the client's insecurity and anxiety
- D. To encourage the client to communicate
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: When the nurse is knowledgeable and competent, it relieves the client's insecurity and anxiety regarding the surgery.
A client was driving a car without wearing a seat belt and slid off the road and hit a tree. The client's chest was crushed against a steering wheel. What type of lethal injury does the nurse anticipate the client may have suffered?
- A. Cardiac tamponade
- B. A pleural effusion
- C. Bladder trauma
- D. Fractured pelvis
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: A nonpenetrating injury of the chest, such as being crushed against a steering wheel, may cause bruising and bleeding of the heart. Because the pericardium encloses the heart, blood accumulates in the pericardial space, resulting in cardiac tamponade. Although a fractured pelvis and bladder trauma may be sustained, they are generally not lethal. A pleural effusion would not result from this traumatic injury.