I Heart You
This arrhythmia, characterized by a rapid and irregular heart rate, is the most common type of tachycardia and often presents with symptoms like palpitations, dizziness, and fatigue.
What is Atrial Fibrillation
This chronic inflammatory lung disease is characterized by wheezing, breathlessness, and chest tightness, often triggered by allergens or irritants. It is diagnosed by a combination of patient history, pulmonary function tests, and sometimes, peak flow monitoring.
What is Asthma?
This condition is characterized by the progressive loss of kidney function, often over several months or years, leading to an elevated serum creatinine level and a decrease in glomerular filtration rate (GFR). The patient may also experience fatigue, edema, and uremia.
What is Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
A 45-year-old male presents with a history of smoking and a 2-day history of worsening shortness of breath, chest pain, and cough with greenish sputum. On examination, his temperature is 101°F, and his breath sounds reveal crackles in the lower lobes. What is the most likely diagnosis?
What is Pneumonia
A 60-year-old female with cirrhosis is experiencing confusion, tremors, and hallucinations. Which lab value would the nurse suspect is abnormal?
What is Sodium
This condition occurs when the heart is unable to meet the body's demand for oxygenated blood, and it often presents with chest pain, shortness of breath, and is diagnosed with an elevated troponin level.
What is Myocardial Infarction
This condition, which often results from smoking, is characterized by airflow limitation that is not fully reversible and includes symptoms like chronic cough, sputum production, and shortness of breath.
What is COPD
This medical term involves the presence of excess protein in the urine, often detected by a urine dipstick or a 24-hour urine collection. It can be a sign of kidney damage, particularly glomerular injury, and is commonly seen in conditions like diabetes and hypertension.
What is Proteinuria
A 72-year-old female with a history of hypertension and heart failure presents to the ER with sudden onset of severe shortness of breath, an O2 saturation of 82%, orthopnea, and pink, frothy sputum. On exam, you note bilateral pitting edema and an S3 heart sound. What is your priority nursing intervention?
What is oxygen administration
A 72-year-old male is admitted to the hospital with heart failure and is being treated with a loop diuretic. He reports feeling weak and dizzy, and his EKG shows flattened T waves and U waves. The nurse knows to check which lab value.
What is Potassium
This type of heart failure occurs when the heart's left ventricle is unable to contract effectively, leading to decreased cardiac output and pulmonary congestion. It is commonly associated with symptoms like crackles in the lungs and bilateral lower extremity edema.
What is left sided heart failure
This potentially life-threatening condition occurs when a clot, typically from the legs, travels to the lungs, causing sudden onset of chest pain, tachypnea, and hypoxia. The diagnosis is confirmed with imaging studies like CT.
What is a pulmonary embolism (PE)
This renal condition is caused by the formation of small stones made of calcium, oxalate, or uric acid in the kidneys. Patients may present with sudden, severe flank pain, hematuria, and nausea.
What is Kidney Stones (nephrolithiasis)
A 45-year-old female with type 1 diabetes presents with confusion, weakness, and a fruity odor to her breath. Her blood glucose is 450 mg/dL, and her pH is 7.20. What is the most likely diagnosis?
What is Diabetic Keto Acidosis (DKA)
A 60-year-old female with chronic kidney disease presents with weakness, irregular heartbeats, and fatigue. Her lab results show a potassium level of 5.9 mEq/L. The nurse knows that these symptoms indicate
Hyperkalemia
This condition involves the thickening of the heart muscle, often due to uncontrolled hypertension, and can lead to impaired relaxation of the heart, which reduces its ability to fill properly during diastole.
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
This respiratory infection often presents with a persistent cough, hemoptysis, night sweats, and weight loss. A positive Mantoux test or chest X-ray is commonly used for diagnosis.
Tuberculosis
This genetic disorder is characterized by the development of multiple cysts in the kidneys, which can lead to kidney enlargement and eventual renal failure. It is often diagnosed through imaging studies such as ultrasound or CT scans.
Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD).
A 55-year-old male with a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) presents to the emergency department with worsening shortness of breath, confusion, and a respiratory rate of 10 breaths per minute. His ABG results show a pH of 7.28, PaCO2 of 55 mmHg, and HCO3 of 24 mEq/L.
Based on the ABG values - the nurse would suspect which acid-base imbalance.
What is respiratory acidosis
This balanced crystalloid solution contains electrolytes like sodium, potassium, calcium, and lactate, making it a preferred choice for fluid resuscitation in trauma and sepsis patients.
What is Lactated Ringers (LR)
This condition is characterized by the presence of a heart murmur due to an incomplete closure of the mitral valve, leading to the backward flow of blood into the left atrium. It often causes symptoms like fatigue, palpitations, and shortness of breath.
Mitral Regurgitation
This respiratory condition is marked by inflammation of the alveoli and fluid accumulation, leading to hypoxia. It is commonly caused by infections like bacteria, viruses, or fungi, and patients may exhibit symptoms like dyspnea, cough, and crackles upon auscultation.
Pneumonia
This condition is the final stage of chronic kidney disease, where kidney function declines to less than 15% of normal, often requiring interventions such as dialysis or a kidney transplant to maintain life. Symptoms may include fatigue, edema, confusion, and electrolyte imbalances.
What is End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)
A 45-year-old female with a history of frequent vomiting due to bulimia nervosa presents to the emergency department with dizziness, muscle cramps, and tingling in her fingers. Her lab results show a pH of 7.48, HCO3 of 30 mEq/L, and PaCO2 of 40 mmHg.
Based on the ABG values - the nurse would suspect which acid-base imbalance
What is Metabolic Alkalosis
This lab value measures the percentage of red blood cells in the blood and is often used to assess anemia or dehydration.
What is hematocrit