A nurse is planning discharge instructions for a client who is being treated for ventricular tachycardia. Which of the following rationales for including bananas in the client’s diet is most accurate?

A client admitted with angina complains of severe chest pain and suddenly becomes unresponsive. After establishing unresponsiveness, which action should the nurse take first?

A client is receiving spironolactone to treat hypertension. Which instruction should the nurse provide?

After unsuccessful cardiopulmonary resuscitation efforts, the nurse must prepare an Islamic client for the morgue. Which nursing action should the nurse take?

A client with acute pulmonary edema caused by heart failure asks the nurse which area of the heart is usually damaged. What is the best response by the nurse?

Which statement by a nurse to the health care aide best explains the need to promptly report changes in respiratory rate for a client diagnosed with heart failure?

One hour after I.V. furosemide (Lasix) is administered to a client with heart failure, a short burst of ventricular tachycardia appears on the cardiac monitor. Which electrolyte imbalance should the nurse suspect?

The nurse evaluates her teaching by asking the student nurse which term is used to describe the amount of stretch on the myocardium at the end of diastole. Which is the most accurate response?

The nurse is aware that antihypertensives should be used cautiously in clients already taking which other drug?

A charge nurse is preparing client care assignments for the next shift. A client who underwent femoral-popliteal bypass surgery is scheduled to return from the postanesthesia care unit. Which staff member should receive this client?

A client with new onset of atrial fibrillation is receiving warfarin (Coumadin) to help prevent thromboemboli. The warfarin dosage will reach therapeutic levels when the international normalized ratio (INR) falls within which range?

A paradoxical pulse occurs in a client who had coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery 2 days ago. Which surgical complication should the nurse suspect?

The nurse is providing teaching for a client who experienced an acute episode of pulmonary edema. What is the most important instruction for the nurse to provide?

A client has a reduced serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) level and an elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) level. Which dietary modification is appropriate for this client?

An 18-year-old client who recently had an upper respiratory infection is admitted with suspected rheumatic fever. Which assessment findings confirm this diagnosis?

A 23-year-old client develops cardiac tamponade when the car he was driving hits a telephone pole; he wasn’t wearing a seat belt. The nurse helps the physician perform a pericardiocentesis. Which outcome would indicate that the treatment has been effective?

A client’s blood pressure is being checked at a health clinic. Which statement by the client demonstrates awareness of having a risk factor for hypertension?

Which finding suggests to the nurse that fluid resuscitation has been effective for a 23-year-old client admitted in hypovolemic shock?

A 35-year-old client was admitted to the coronary care unit (CCU) 2 days ago with an acute myocardial infarction. Which action would breach client confidentiality?

A 38-year-old client comes to the emergency department complaining that his heart “suddenly began to race.” After attaching him to the cardiac monitor, the nurse observes atrial tachycardia. Which rhythm strip characteristics indicate this arrhythmia?

The nurse knows that a 45-year-old client with severe hypertension will experience increased workload of the heart due to which of the following?

A 54-year-old client is admitted with an acute inferior-wall myocardial infarction (MI). During the admission interview, he says he stopped taking his metoprolol (Lopressor) 5 days ago because he was feeling better. Which nursing diagnosis takes priority for this client?

A client arriving in the emergency department (ED) is receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation from paramedics, who are giving ventilations through an endotracheal (ET) tube that they placed in the client’s home. During a pause in compressions, the cardiac monitor shows narrow QRS complexes and a heart rate of 55 beats/minute with a palpable pulse. Which action should the nurse take first?

A 57-year-old client with acute arterial occlusion of the left leg undergoes an emergency embolectomy. Six hours later, the nurse isn’t able to obtain pulses in his left foot using Doppler ultrasound. She immediately notifies the physician, who asks her to prepare the client for surgery. As the nurse enters the client’s room to prepare him, he states that he won’t have any more surgery. What is the most appropriate initial action of the nurse?

The nurse coming on duty receives the report from the nurse going off duty. Which client should the on-duty nurse assess first?

A 63-year-old client has Prinzmetal’s angina. To reduce the risk of coronary artery spasms, which type of medication is the physician most likely to prescribe?

A nurse is caring for a 78-year-old female client with sick sinus syndrome who is awaiting permanent pacemaker placement. The nurse is aware that which assessment finding indicates that the client is experiencing an initial drop in cardiac output?

A client comes to the emergency department with acute shortness of breath and a cough that produces pink, frothy sputum. Admission assessment reveals crackles and wheezes, a blood pressure of 82/45 mm Hg, a heart rate of 120 beats/minute, and a respiratory rate of 38 breaths/minute. The client’s medical history includes diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and heart failure. Which disorder should the nurse suspect?

An 86-year-old client with heart failure is receiving furosemide (Lasix), 40 mg I.V. The physician orders 40 mEq of potassium chloride in 100 ml of dextrose 5% in water, to infuse over 4 hours. The client’s most recent serum potassium level is 3.0 mEq/L. At which infusion rate should the nurse set the I.V. pump?

After cardiac surgery, a client’s blood pressure measures 126/80 mm Hg. The nurse determines that mean arterial pressure (MAP) is: