Author Question: The nurse is caring for a patient admitted with chest pain to rule out a myocardial infarction (MI). ... (Read 139 times)

Kikoku · **on:** Jun 25, 2018

The nurse is caring for a patient admitted with chest pain to rule out a myocardial infarction (MI). The nurse observes that the patient is experiencing electrocardiogram (ECG) changes and reviews new laboratory results.

Which laboratory value should the nurse report immediately?
a. Troponin of 2.4 mcg/L
b. Potassium of 3.4 mEq/L
c. Creatine phosphokinase of 134 IU/L
d. Sodium of 133 mEq/L

Question 2

The nurse is caring for a patient who complains, I don't see why I can't have a CT scan instead of the expensive MRI Which response is most appropriate for the nurse to make?

a. The MRI provides better contrast be-tween normal and pathologic tissue.
b. The MRI requires less analysis and is easier to read.
c. The MRI produces a digital image that can be transmitted via e-mail.
d. The MRI exposes the patient to less radi-ation.

kxciann · **Reply #1 on:** Jun 25, 2018

Answer to Question 1

A
The patient has a significantly elevated troponin. The abnormal troponin, along with ECG changes, indicates that the patient is likely experiencing an MI. (Elevated troponin levels are most indicative of an MI as these enzymes are specific to heart muscle damage.) While the nurse should report the abnormally low potassium of 3.4 (low normal) sodium, these findings are of lesser priority than the elevated troponin.

Answer to Question 2

A
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses radiofrequency signals to determine how hydrogen atoms behave in the magnetic field. In addition, the MRI provides a better contrast than com-puted tomography (CT) between healthy tissues and pathologic tissues.