Vascular Disorders & Hypertension
This term describes the thickening and loss of elasticity of arterial walls, which is a primary contributor to primary hypertension in older adults.
What is Arteriosclerosis?
This chronic condition causes irreversible enlargement of the bronchioles and destruction of alveolar walls, leading to air trapping and a flattened diaphragm on a chest X-ray.
What is Emphysema?
This is the term for a surgical connection created between an artery and a vein in the arm, which requires the nurse to palpate for a thrill and auscultate for a bruit.
What is an AV Fistula?
Patients taking this specific class of antihypertensives (ending in "-pine") must be monitored for peripheral edema and reflex tachycardia.
What are Calcium Channel Blockers?
A patient with heart failure should weigh themselves at this frequency, at the same time each day, to monitor for fluid retention.
What is Daily (or every day)?
This condition is characterized by a triad of symptoms including intermittent claudication, dependent rubor (redness when the leg hangs down), and thin, shiny skin with hair loss.
What is Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)?
This is a genetic condition caused by a deficiency of a specific protein that normally protects the lungs from inflammation, leading to early-onset emphysema, especially in smokers.
What is Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency?
When a patient has a chest tube connected to a water seal drainage system, the nurse should observe for this normal finding, described as the water level moving up and down with the patient's respirations.
What is Tidaling?
When a patient is started on this potassium-sparing diuretic, the nurse must monitor the patient's potassium level closely, as the medication can cause life-threatening hyperkalemia.
What is Spironolactone (Aldactone)?
A patient with COPD should be taught to use this specific breathing technique—inhaling through the nose and exhaling slowly through puckered lips—to prevent airway collapse.
What is Pursed-Lip Breathing?
This is the term for hypertension that is caused by a specific underlying, identifiable condition, such as renal disease, Cushing's syndrome, or pheochromocytoma.
What is Secondary Hypertension?
This condition is characterized by the permanent dilation of the bronchi and bronchioles due to chronic infection and inflammation, resulting in copious, foul-smelling sputum.
What is Bronchiectasis?
If a patient with a chest tube has continuous bubbling in the water seal chamber, the nurse should check for this specific problem at the insertion site and tubing connections.
What is an Air Leak?
This medication is a potent antiarrhythmic used for ventricular tachycardia and atrial fibrillation, but it can cause thyroid dysfunction, pulmonary fibrosis, and blue-gray skin discoloration with long-term use.
What is Amiodarone?
When teaching a patient about a new prescription for nitroglycerin (Nitrostat), the nurse must instruct them to take the medication in this specific way to prevent severe hypotension and falls
What is Sitting or lying down?
This vascular phenomenon is a vasospastic disorder causing episodic pallor, cyanosis, and rubor (redness) of the fingers or toes, usually triggered by cold temperatures or stress.
What is Raynaud's Disease (or Phenomenon)?
This is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which requires airborne isolation in a negative pressure room and a fit-tested N95 mask for healthcare workers.
What is Tuberculosis (TB)?
This surgical procedure, often performed for severe coronary artery disease, uses a healthy blood vessel from the leg or chest to bypass a blocked coronary artery.
What is a CABG (Coronary Artery Bypass Graft)?
If a patient taking warfarin has an INR of 6.0 (therapeutic is 2.0–3.0), this is the specific antidote the nurse should prepare to administer.
What is Vitamin K (Phytonadione)?
This is the priority nursing intervention for a patient who is experiencing an acute asthma attack and has a "silent chest" (absent breath sounds).
: What is Preparing for emergency intubation and ventilation? (A silent chest indicates impending respiratory failure).
While PAD causes pain with exercise (claudication) that is relieved by rest, this related venous disorder typically causes a heavy, aching pain that is worsened by dependency and relieved by elevation.
What is Peripheral Venous Disease (PVD)?
This rare, life-threatening complication of ARDS occurs when air leaks from the alveoli into the pleural space due to high ventilator pressures, requiring immediate needle decompression.
What is a Barotrauma-induced Tension Pneumothorax?
In this invasive hemodynamic monitoring procedure, a catheter is inserted into the pulmonary artery to measure pressures in the right heart and lungs, requiring strict sterile technique to prevent line sepsis.
What is a Swan-Ganz (Pulmonary Artery) Catheter?
This class of medications (ending in "-pril" or "-sartan") is absolutely contraindicated in pregnancy because they cause fetal renal failure and death.
What are ACE Inhibitors and ARBs?
When performing discharge teaching for a patient with tuberculosis, the nurse must emphasize that they need to take their medications for this minimum duration to prevent drug resistance.
What is 6 to 9 months (or 6 to 12 months)?