Author Question: A patient asks the nurse why he felt pain prior to a myocardial infarction primarily in his left ... (Read 121 times)

awywial · **on:** Jun 25, 2018

A patient asks the nurse why he felt pain prior to a myocardial infarction primarily in his left arm. How should the nurse respond?

1. Pain in the arm related to cardiac tissue damage is a type of referred pain.
2. Cardiac pain is generally unexplainable.
3. Were you doing some physical activity with your arm just prior to the event?
4. What you are describing relates to psychogenic pain.

Question 2

A patient is being treated for chronic pain. What should the nurse keep in mind when assessing this patient's level of pain?

1. The pain rating may be inconsistent with the underlying pathology.
2. There is usually a clear, physiologic cause.
3. Pain typically lasts 2 months or less.
4. The pain reported is usually less severe than acute pain.

cam1229 · **Reply #1 on:** Jun 25, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Correct Answer: 1
Referred pain is pain perceived in an area distant from the stimulus. Visceral sensory fibers synapse at the level of the spinal cord, close to fibers innervating other subcutaneous tissue areas of the body. Cardiac pain is explainable. Physical activity did not trigger the pain. Psychogenic pain occurs in the absence of a diagnosed physiological cause or event.

Answer to Question 2

Correct Answer: 1
The patient might not exhibit signs of pain such as elevations in vital signs, grimacing, writhing, or moaning. Chronic pain may persist for longer than 2 months and may not have an identified physiologic cause. There is no indication that chronic pain is less severe than acute pain, although in some instances it may be more diffuse.