A patient is diagnosed with an acute myocardial infarction and ruptured papillary muscle. Which of the following actions is of the highest priority for the nurse to complete?
1. neurological assessment
2. electrocardiogram
3. respiratory assessment
4. cardiac output measurement
3
Rationale: In an acute situation, such as a myocardial infarction with papillary muscle damage, the left atrium and left ventricle cannot acutely compensate, which leads to backup pressure in the pulmonary vasculature, and acute pulmonary edema occurs. The other choices would be important to do after the nurse has completed a respiratory assessment.
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