Practice Question
The nurse on the intermediate care unit received a change-of-shift report on four patients with hypertension. Which patient should the nurse assess first?
Answer Choices:
Correct Answer:
43-yr-old with a blood pressure of 172/98 mm Hg whose urine shows microalbuminuria.
Rationale:
🔺 Chest pain indicates possible myocardial ischemia or infarction, which is an emergency.
🔺 Even though the BP is not the highest, the symptom of chest pain makes this case the top priority.
🔺 Prompt assessment (ECG, troponin, oxygen) prevents life-threatening complications.
🔺 The principle of triage is symptoms over numbers—end-organ signs trump the actual BP value.
🔺 Early recognition prevents cardiac arrest and improves survival outcomes.
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This question is from Medsurg-390 which contains 33 questions.
More Questions from This Exam
Which information is most important for the nurse to include when teaching a client newly diagnosed with hypertension?
Answer Choices:
A. Most people are able to control BP through dietary changes.
B. Annual BP checks are needed to monitor treatment effectiveness.
C. Increasing physical activity controls blood pressure (BP) for most people.
D. Hypertension is usually asymptomatic until target organ damage occurs.
A client with a history of hypertension treated with a diuretic and an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor arrives in the emergency department. The client reports a severe headache and nausea and has a blood pressure (BP) of 238/118 mm Hg. Which question should the nurse ask to follow up on these findings?
Answer Choices:
A. "Have you recently taken any antihistamines?"
B. "Have there been recent stressful events in your life?"
C. "Have you consistently taken your medications?"
D. "Did you take any acetaminophen/Tylenol) today?"
The nurse is assessing a client who has been admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with a hypertensive emergency. Which finding is most important to report to the health care provider?
Answer Choices:
A. Tremors are noted in the fingers when the client extends the arms.
B. The client cannot move the left arm and leg when asked to do so.
C. Urine output over 8 hours is 250 mL less than the fluid intake.
D. The client reports a headache with pain at level 7 of 10 (0 to 10 scale).
The nurse is reviewing the laboratory test results for a client who has recently been diagnosed with hypertension. Which result is most important to communicate to the health care provider?
Answer Choices:
A. Serum creatinine of 2.8 mg/dL
B. Serum hemoglobin of 14.7 g/dL
C. Blood glucose level of 96 mg/dL
D. Serum potassium of 4.5 mEq/L
Which action will the nurse include in the plan of care for a patient who was admitted with syncopal episodes of unknown origin?
Answer Choices:
A. Explain the association between dysrhythmias and syncope.
B. Tell the patient about the benefits of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators.
C. Instruct the patient to call for assistance before getting out of bed.
D. Teach the patient about the need to avoid caffeine and other stimulants.
Question Details
- Category: RN Nursing Exam(s)
- Subcategory: General Exams
- Domain: Medical-surgical📚
- Answer Choices: 4