Nokea
The nurse is caring for a client with mitral regurgitation. Which of the following would the nurse anticipate the client to develop if left untreated?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Mitral regurgitation backflows blood into the left atrium, hiking pressure and volume untreated, it overburdens the left ventricle, leading to left-sided heart failure. Pulmonary congestion follows, with dyspnea and edema, a direct consequence of this valve flaw. Right-sided failure stems from downstream effects or separate causes, not primary here. Renal failure or ischemia might complicate advanced disease, but left-sided failure's progression is the immediate risk, rooted in mitral dysfunction's mechanics. Nurses anticipate this, monitoring for early signs like crackles, ensuring timely intervention to halt this predictable cardiac cascade.