A 75-year-old man with a history of hypertension was recently ...

[mikaylakyoung]

A 75-year-old man with a history of hypertension was recently changed to a new antihypertensive drug. He reports feeling dizzy at times. How should the nurse evaluate his blood pressure?
 
  a. Blood pressure and pulse should be recorded in the supine, sitting, and standing positions.
  b. The patient should be directed to walk around the room and his blood pressure assessed after this activity.
  c. Blood pressure and pulse are assessed at the beginning and at the end of the examination.
  d. Blood pressure is taken on the right arm and then 5 minutes later on the left arm.

Question 2

When considering the concepts related to blood pressure, the nurse knows that the concept of mean arterial pressure (MAP) is best described by which statement?
 
  a. MAP is the pressure of the arterial pulse.
  b. MAP reflects the stroke volume of the heart.
  c. MAP is the pressure forcing blood into the tissues, averaged over the cardiac cycle.
  d. MAP is an average of the systolic and diastolic blood pressures and reflects tissue perfusion.

[macagn]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: A
Orthostatic vital signs should be taken when the person is hypertensive or is taking antihypertensive medications, when the person reports fainting or syncope, or when volume depletion is suspected. The blood pressure and pulse readings are recorded in the supine, sitting, and standing positions.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: C
MAP is the pressure that forces blood into the tissues, averaged over the cardiac cycle. Stroke volume is reflected by the blood pressure. MAP is not an arithmetic average of systolic and diastolic pressures because diastole lasts longer; rather, it is a value closer to diastolic pressure plus one third of the pulse pressure.

[mikaylakyoung]

Excellent

[brbarasa]

Thanks for the timely response, appreciate it