the nurse is administering digoxin to a client what is the most important parameter to check before administration
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Nursing Elites

ATI RN

Physical Exam Cardiovascular System

1. The nurse is administering digoxin to a client. What is the most important parameter to check before administration?

Correct answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is A: Heart rate. Before administering digoxin, it is crucial to check the client's heart rate because digoxin can cause bradycardia, making it essential to ensure the heart rate is within the appropriate range. Blood pressure, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation are also important parameters to monitor in a clinical setting, but when administering digoxin, the focus should primarily be on the heart rate due to its potential effects on cardiac function.

2. Which surgical procedure involves removing a portion of the lung?

Correct answer: A

Rationale: A lobectomy is the surgical removal of a lobe of the lung. This procedure is commonly performed to treat conditions like lung cancer or severe lung diseases. Pneumonectomy involves removing an entire lung, making it incorrect. Tracheostomy is a surgical procedure to create an opening in the windpipe, not involving lung tissue removal. Bronchoscopy is a diagnostic procedure that allows visualization of the airways using a thin, flexible tube with a camera, not involving lung tissue removal.

3. Which heart chamber receives oxygenated blood from the lungs and pumps it to the rest of the body?

Correct answer: C

Rationale: The correct answer is the left ventricle. It receives oxygenated blood from the left atrium and pumps it to the rest of the body through the aorta. The left atrium receives oxygenated blood from the lungs, the right atrium receives deoxygenated blood from the body, and the right ventricle pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs.

4. What is the term for a blood clot blocking an artery in the lungs, leading to symptoms like shortness of breath and chest pain?

Correct answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is A, pulmonary embolism. A pulmonary embolism occurs when a blood clot travels to the lungs and blocks an artery, causing symptoms like shortness of breath and chest pain. Choice B, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), involves a blood clot forming in a deep vein, usually in the legs. Choice C, myocardial infarction, refers to a heart attack due to blocked blood flow to the heart muscle. Choice D, pneumothorax, is a collapsed lung due to air leaking into the chest cavity.

5. The nurse is administering digoxin to a client with a heart rate of 45 bpm. What is the nurse’s priority action?

Correct answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is to hold the digoxin and notify the healthcare provider. A heart rate of 45 bpm is already low, and digoxin can further decrease the heart rate, leading to serious complications like bradycardia or heart block. Administering the medication can exacerbate the bradycardia, hence it should be withheld. Increasing the dose of digoxin is contraindicated due to the client's low heart rate. Monitoring the heart rate alone without taking immediate action to withhold the medication is not the priority when faced with the risk of further lowering the heart rate.

Similar Questions

What is a chronic condition where the heart is unable to pump blood effectively, leading to fluid buildup in the lungs and other parts of the body?
Which heart chamber receives oxygenated blood from the four pulmonary veins and serves as a reservoir during ventricular systole?
Which condition is characterized by a chronic cough that produces mucus, often caused by long-term exposure to irritants?
Which condition is characterized by an inability to effectively pump blood, leading to fluid buildup and swelling in the body?
Which heart chamber receives venous blood returning to the heart via the superior and inferior vena cava?

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