Brunner & Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing 14e (Hinkle 2017) - Assessment of Cardiovascular Function Related

Review Brunner & Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing 14e (Hinkle 2017) - Assessment of Cardiovascular Function related questions and content

The nurse is caring for a patient admitted with angina who is scheduled for cardiac catheterization. The patient is anxious and asks the reason for this test. What is the best response?

  • A. Cardiac catheterization is usually done to assess how blocked or open a patients coronary arteries are
  • B. Cardiac catheterization is most commonly done to detect how efficiently a patients heart muscle contracts
  • C. Cardiac catheterization is usually done to evaluate cardiovascular response to stress
  • D. Cardiac catheterization is most commonly done to evaluate cardiac electrical activity
Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Cardiac catheterization is usually used to assess coronary artery patency to determine if revascularization procedures are necessary. A thallium stress test shows myocardial ischemia after stress. An ECG shows the electrical activity of the heart.