The nurse caring for patients on a cardiac unit should plan to see which of the

3. a patient receiving antibiotics for bacterial endocarditis who is reporting anxiety and chest pain

You always want to see those from most to least critical and (3) needs to be assigned to the unit first because the patient is reporting angina due to to the inflamed heart. If there is chest pain the patient is at risk for developing a clot towards the heart from the infection the antibiotics alone were not able to reverse. This should be intervened ASAP. You would want to see patient (1) next because they are having difficulty breathing following patient (4) with the fever and (2) last since he is not in any pain and only needs to be ambulated.

3 -- The patient with bacterial endocarditis is at risk for thrombus formation. This patient requires immediate attention as chest pain and anxiety are signs of pulmonary embolism (PE), which is life-threatening. Dyspnea is a chronic symptom with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which requires assessment; a temperature of 101° F requires further assessment; and the patient ambulating for the first time will be assessed by a nurse. However, the patient with a possible PE is the most emergent.