Medications
These medications lower blood pressure by decreasing fluid volume. These medications can also cause potassium loss (hypokalemia).
What is furosemide?
What is hydrochlorothiazide?
A nurse would teach the client this about daily weights.
What is do not gain more than 2lbs per day or 5 lbs. per week?
What is weight in the morning before breakfast?
This diagnostic test would show 40% or lower for clients with heart failure.
What is an ejection fraction?
This is measured through an echocardiogram.
This disorder is caused by frequent standing or sitting?
What are vericose veins?
A common cause for a client with hypertension blood pressure to rise to a level as high as 180/120.
What is abruptly stopping blood pressure medication?
This medication can cause a client to develop toxic levels and show signs of toxicity such as bradycardia, visual disturbances such as halos, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, irregular heartrate, anorexia (loss of appetite).
What is digoxin?
A nurse should ensure that the client is following this order to prevent any further fluid volume overload in heart failure.
What is fluid restriction?
*Safety tip a nurse must be careful in the amount of fluids a patient with heart failure takes in due to them being in fluid volume overload.
*Patient's should be on strict I & O as well.*
This lab would have a level of 100 or greater for a client with heart failure.
What is BNP?
*Review what a BNP is.*
This vascular disorder causes defined circular wounds with pale wound beds and no drainage.
What is an arterial disorder?
If an Ace Inhibitor is given to a client and they experience a cough, this medication is given.
What are angiotensin II receptor blockers?
Examples: Losartan, Valsartan
*Remember if they can't have ACE they will prescribe the brother ARB.
The nurse must assess these items prior to administration of digoxin.
What is an apical pulse / heart rate?
What are signs so digoxin toxicity?
What are potassium levels?
The nurse would assess these areas on a client in heart failure to determine fluid volume overload.
What is lung sounds? Crackles
What is edema?
What is ascites?
What is jugular vein distention?
What is urinary output?
This diagnostic test would show cardiomegaly/cardiac hypertrophy in a client with heart failure?
What is a chest X-ray?
This vascular disorder causes shinny, hairless legs.
What is peripheral arterial disease?
What else? Think of the P's that this disorder will display. Remember the red rubor!
This diuretic a nurse would hold and call provider if the client has hyperkalemia.
What is Spironolactone?
Remember this is a potassium sparing diuretic and can cause high K+ levels. Must know K+ levels prior to administration.
This medication lowers the blood pressure by removing fluid but spares potassium loss. Can cause hyperkalemia.
What is spironolactone?
A nurse would provide this teaching for a heart healthy diet.
What is a low cholesterol diet?
What is a low sodium diet?
What foods contain cholesterol? Animal sources
What food sources are high in sodium? Processed and prepacked foods such as canned goods microwave meals.
Normal lab result is 3.5 to 5.
What are potassium levels?
Remember K+ stands for potassium.
This peripheral vascular disorder causes wounds that are irregularly shaped with DRAINAGE.
What are peripheral venous disorders?
Nursing education for a client with heart failure.
What slowly increase exercise 30 minutes per day?
Remember the nurse should teach the client to STOP if they feel dizzy or faint.
This medication can mask signs of hypoglycemia in the diabetic patient. It works to decrease heart rate and blood pressure.
What is metoprolol?
Nursing education about taking home blood pressure.
What is take a daily blood pressure reading?
*Do not abruptly stop taking blood pressure medications.*
Involves arterial injection of contrast medium to visualize areas of decreased blood flow on x-ray
What is an arteriography?
*Remember the nurse must assess for allergies to contrast medium prior to the test.
This peripheral vascular disorder finds relief when the extremity is elevated.
What is a peripheral venous disorder?
Important assessment data to administer a calcium channel blocker.
What is blood pressure and heart rate?
*Review common medications in that class. Remember many end in "pine".