Author Question: A 78-year-old client with congestive heart failure (CHF) is reporting vascular pain in his lower ... (Read 39 times)

joesmith1212 · **on:** Jul 23, 2018

A 78-year-old client with congestive heart failure (CHF) is reporting vascular pain in his lower legs and requests his oral narcotic analgesic. The nurse recognizes that the client's pain relief will be negatively affected primarily because of:

1. The client's age
2. The systemic effects of CHF
3. The route of administration
4. The status of the peripheral vessels

Question 2

The nurse is caring for a client who is experiencing severe pain and is insistent about getting some relief quickly. Which of the following prescriptions is most likely to produce the quickest pain relief?

1. Percodan orally
2. Lidocaine topically
3. Demerol intramuscularly
4. Morphine sulfate intravenously

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

Answer to Question 1

ANS: 2
Clients with congestive heart failure have impaired circulation, which impairs medication delivery to the intended site of action. Therefore the efficacy of medications in these clients is delayed or altered. The other options reflect possible barriers, but they are not as directly responsible as is the heart's functional capacity

Answer to Question 2

ANS: 4
Each route of medication administration has a different rate of absorption. When applying medi-cations on the skin, absorption is slow because of the physical makeup of the skin. Medications placed on the mucous membranes and respiratory airways are quickly absorbed because these tissues contain many blood vessels. Because orally administered medications pass through the gastrointestinal tract, the overall rate of absorption is usually slow. Intravenous (IV) injection produces the most rapid absorption because medications are immediately available when they enter the systemic circulation.