A nurse who works in a busy emergency department provides care for numerous patients who present ...

A nurse who works in a busy emergency department provides care for numerous patients who present with complaints of chest pain.
 
  Which of the following questions is most likely to help the nurse differentiate between chest pain that is attributable to angina and chest pain due to myocardial infarction (MI)?
  A) Does resting and remaining still help your chest pain to decrease?
  B) Have you ever been diagnosed with high blood pressure or diabetes?
  C) When was the first time that you recall having chest pain?
  D) Does your chest pain make it difficult to move around like you normally would?

Question 2

In reviewing a patient's chart to determine whether she has progressed from HIV disease to AIDS, the nurse should look for
 
  a. CD4+ count below 500, chronic fatigue, night sweats.
  b. HIV-positive test result, CD4+ count below 200, history of opportunistic disease.
  c. weight loss, persistent generalized lymphadenopathy, chronic diarrhea.
  d. fever, chills, CD4+ count below 200.

Question 3

A 72-year-old woman with a diagnosis of angina pectoris has presented to her nurse practitioner because her chest pain on exertion has become more frequent and longer lasting in recent days.
 
  The nurse should understand that this woman's chest pain is directly attributable to which of the following pathophysiological processes?
  A) Inflammation and physical irritation of the lumens of coronary arteries
  B) Accumulation of cellular debris in the myocardium after the rupture of atheromas
  C) Ischemia of cardiac muscle cells
  D) Accumulation of lactic acid in cardiac muscle

Question 4

A patient asks the nurse, How does HIV cause AIDS? The nurse's response should be
 
  a. HIV attacks the immune system, a system that protects the body from foreign invaders, making it unable to protect the body from organisms that cause diseases.
  b. HIV breaks down the circulatory system, making the body unable to assimilate oxygen and nutrients.
  c. HIV attacks the respiratory system, making the lungs more susceptible to organisms that cause pneumonia.
  d. HIV attacks the digestive system, decreasing the absorption of essential nutrients and causing weight loss and fatigue.

Question 5

The nurse providing care for a patient post percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) knows to monitor the patient closely. What does the nurse know to monitor for?
  Select all that apply.
 
  A) Abrupt closure of the coronary artery
  B) Venous insufficiency
  C) Bleeding at the insertion site
  D) Retroperitoneal bleeding
  E) Arterial occlusion

Question 6

A patient has just been told by his physician that he is HIV-positive. He asks the nurse, When will I get AIDS? The nurse's response should be
 
  a. Most people get AIDS within 3 to 12 weeks after they are infected with HIV.
  b. Don't worry. You may never get AIDS if you eat properly, exercise, and get plenty of rest.
  c. It varies with every individual, but the average time is 8 to 10 years from the time a person is infected, and some go much longer.
  d. You can expect to develop signs and symptoms of AIDS within 6 months.

Question 7

The nurse is caring for a patient who is scheduled for a percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) and who asks what complications can happen during the procedure. What statement should underlie the nurse's response?
 
  A) Complications that can occur during a PTCA include dissection of the ductus arteriosa.
  B) Complications that can occur during a PTCA include hyposensitivity of the heart muscle.
  C) Complications that can occur during a PTCA include vasospasm of the coronary artery.
  D) Complications that can occur during a PTCA include closure of the pulmonary artery.