Nokea
The nurse monitors a client with dark skin for signs of cyanosis. Which manifestation, documented by the nurse, indicates cyanosis for this client?
- A. Dark red lips and tongue
- B. Grayish cast to the skin
- C. Pale appearance to the skin
- D. Pale pink mucous membranes
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: A good light is necessary when monitoring skin color. Many clients with cardiac disorders exhibit changes in skin color (e.g., cyanosis, pallor). Cyanosis can be detected by carefully noting color changes in the oral mucous membranes as well as in the lips, earlobes, skin, and nail beds. In dark-skinned clients, a grayish cast to the skin indicates pallor. In clients who are light skinned, extreme pallor is easy to detect because the skin appears almost bloodless. Dark red lips and tongue are not manifestations associated with cyanosis. A pale appearance can indicate cyanosis for a client with light skin. The presence of pale pink mucous membranes is a normal or expected finding and is not associated with cyanosis.
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The nurse provides care for a dying client following a massive myocardial infarction (MI). The nurse notes the client is experiencing dyspnea and has a barely palpable pulse. Which documentation of pulse quality by the nurse is appropriate?
- A. The client's pulse is full.
- B. The client is exhibiting a thready pulse.
- C. The client is experiencing a pulse deficit.
- D. The client's pulse indicates a regular rhythm.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: When taking a client's pulse, the nurse notes its rate, rhythm, and quality. The pulse quality refers to its palpated volume. Pulse volume is described as feeling full, weak, or thready, meaning barely palpable. Documentation that the client's pulse is full is inaccurate. The nurse also determines any pulse deficit by counting the heart rate through auscultation at the apex while a second nurse simultaneously palpates and counts the radial pulse for a full minute. The difference, if any, is the pulse deficit. Documenting that the client's pulse indicates a regular rhythm is inaccurate because the documentation in this scenario focuses on the quality, not rhythm.
The nurse is caring for a client with ECG changes consistent with a myocardial infarction. Which of the following diagnostic test does the nurse anticipate to confirm heart damage?
- A. Fluoroscopy
- B. Nuclear cardiology
- C. Serum blood work
- D. Chest radiography
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Nuclear cardiology uses a radionuclide to detect areas of myocardial damage. Chest radiography and fluoroscopy determine the size and position of the heart and condition of the lungs. Serum blood work notes elevations in enzymes suggesting tissue damage.
A client needs additional information about a heart condition. The client asks the nurse 'What is considered the pacemaker of the heart?'
- A. The AV node
- B. The bundle of HIS
- C. The Purkinje fibers
- D. The SA node
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The SA node is called the pacemaker of the heart because it initiates the electrical impulses that cause the atria and ventricles to contract. Normally, it produces between 60 and 100 impulses per minute; the average is approximately 72 impulses per minute.
The nurse is caring for a client with nursing diagnosis of ineffective tissue perfusion. Which area of the heart would the nurse anticipate being compromised?
- A. Right atrium
- B. Pulmonary artery
- C. Right ventricle
- D. Aorta
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: There are four chambers to the heart. The right and left ventricles are the heart's major pumping chamber. The right ventricle pumps to the lungs to oxygenate the blood. The left ventricle pumps blood to the tissues and cells. The pulmonary artery and aorta are not of the heart.
While being prepared for echocardiography, the client asks nurse why this test is necessary. What would be the nurse's best response?
- A. This test will find any congenital heart defects.
- B. This test can tell us a lot about your heart.
- C. Echocardiography is a way of determining the functioning of the left ventricle of your heart.
- D. Echocardiography will tell your doctor if you have cancer of the heart.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Echocardiography uses ultrasound waves to determine the functioning of the left ventricle and to detect cardiac tumors, congenital defects, and changes in the tissue layers of the heart. Explaining the procedure is the best answer because it addresses the client's question without making the client anxious or minimizing the question.