Author Question: A nursing student is helping to care for a patient who takes verapamil for stable angina. The nurse ... (Read 32 times)

D2AR0N · **on:** Jul 23, 2018

A nursing student is helping to care for a patient who takes verapamil for stable angina. The nurse asks the student to explain the purpose of verapamil in the treatment of this patient.

Which statement by the student indicates a need for further teaching? a. It relaxes coronary artery spasms.
b. It reduces peripheral resistance to reduce oxygen demands.
c. It reduces the heart rate, AV conduction, and contractility.
d. It relaxes the peripheral arterioles to re-duce afterload.

Question 2

A pregnant patient is treated with trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMZ) Bactrim for a urinary tract infection at 32 weeks' gestation. A week later, the woman delivers her infant pre-maturely. The nurse will expect to monitor the infant for:

a. birth defects.
b. hypoglycemia.
c. rash.
d. kernicterus.

diesoon · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 23, 2018

Answer to Question 1

A
Verapamil does relax coronary artery spasms, but this is not useful in stable angina. Verapamil is used to relax coronary artery spasms in variant asthma. When used to treat stable angina, vera-pamil promotes relaxation of peripheral arterioles, which reduces peripheral resistance and de-creases afterload. It also reduces the heart rate, AV conduction, and contractility.

Answer to Question 2

D
Kernicterus is a disorder in newborns caused by deposition of bilirubin in the brain. Sulfonamides promote kernicterus by displacing bilirubin from plasma proteins. Sulfonamides should not be given to infants under 2 months of age or to pregnant women after 32 weeks' gestation. Sulfonamides do not cause birth defects or hypoglycemia. Serious rashes may occur but are not the primary concern in the newborn.