A nurse cares for a client recovering from prosthetic valve ...

[P68T]

A nurse cares for a client recovering from prosthetic valve replacement surgery. The client asks, Why will I need to take anticoagulants for the rest of my life? How should the nurse respond?
 
  a. The prosthetic valve places you at greater risk for a heart attack.
  b. Blood clots form more easily in artificial replacement valves.
  c. The vein taken from your leg reduces circulation in the leg.
  d. The surgery left a lot of small clots in your heart and lungs.

Question 2

A nurse assesses a client with mitral valve stenosis. What clinical manifestation should alert the nurse to the possibility that the client's stenosis has progressed?
 
  a. Oxygen saturation of 92
  b. Dyspnea on exertion
  c. Muted systolic murmur
  d. Upper extremity weakness

[briseldagonzales]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: B
Synthetic valve prostheses and scar tissue provide surfaces on which platelets can aggregate easily and initiate the formation of blood clots. The other responses are inaccurate.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: B
Dyspnea on exertion develops as the mitral valvular orifice narrows and pressure in the lungs increases. The other manifestations do not relate to the progression of mitral valve stenosis.