The nurse is taking the initial history of a patient admitted to ...

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The nurse is taking the initial history of a patient admitted to the hospital for hypertension. The physician has ordered a beta-adrenergic blocker. Which statement by the patient does the nurse recognize as most significant?
 
  1. I don't handle stress well; I have a lot of diarrhea.
  2. When I have a migraine headache, I need to have the room darkened.
  3. My father died of a heart attack when he was 48-years-old.
  4. I have always had problems with my asthma.

Question 2

The patient comes to the emergency department with a blood pressure of 200/120 mmHg. The physician orders hydralazine (Apresoline) IV. What will the nurse's priority assessment include?
 
  1. Hypotension and bradycardia
  2. Hypotension and hyperthermia
  3. Hypotension and tachycardia
  4. Hypotension and tachypnea

[vickybb89]

Answer to Question 1

Correct Answer: 4
Rationale: With increased doses, beta-adrenergic blockers can slow the heart rate and cause bronchoconstriction . They should be used with caution in patients with asthma. Beta-adrenergic blockers do not affect migraine headaches. Having a father who died of a heart attack when he was young is significant, but has no correlation to this patient and use of beta-adrenergic blockers. There is no correlation between increased stress, diarrhea, and beta-adrenergic blockers.

Answer to Question 2

Correct Answer: 3
Rationale: Direct vasodilators produce reflex tachycardia, a compensatory response to the sudden decrease in blood pressure caused by the drug. Direct vasodilators produce hypotension and tachycardia, not bradycardia. Direct vasodilators do not affect body temperature. Direct vasodilators do not affect respiratory rate.

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