A patient taking a vasodilator complains of dizziness when getting out of bed to go to the bathroom. The nurse should advise the patient to do which of the following to try to prevent or-thostatic hypotension?
a. Drink two glasses of water just prior to changing positions to get out of bed or stand up to walk.
b. Avoid abrupt position changes by slowly moving into another position.
c. Ask for the bedpan to avoid having to get out of bed.
d. Rapidly transition to the sitting position in the bed and then dangle the feet to improve circulation prior to walking to the bathroom.
B
The patient should avoid abrupt transitions from a supine or seated position to an upright position so that postural hypotension does not occur.
Drinking two glasses of water just prior to ambulating will not help prevent dizziness and may lead to worsening heart failure if the patient has this problem or is unable to urinate in the toilet.
Using the bedpan can cause unnecessary, prolonged immobility and potentiates the possibility of clots.
A rapid transition of the body from the supine position into the sitting position will cause orthos-tatic hypotension.
You might also like to view...
Which health care professional is licensed to prescribe controlled substances?
a. LPN/LVN b. Physical therapist c. Pharmacist d. Physician
A child with chronic renal failure does not want to take the prescribed aluminum hydroxide gel because of the taste. What should the nurse tell the patient about the purpose of this medication?
A) Prevents an upset stomach B) Assists with the absorption of calcium C) Assists with elimination of potassium D) Reduces absorption of phosphorus from the GI tract
The nurse admits a client into the emergency department who complains of light-headedness and nausea
During the assessment, the nurse determines that the radial pulse is 42 and regular, the cardiac monitor shows there are P waves present, the QRS complex is within normal limits, but there is no measurable PR interval because there is not a consistent relationship between the P waves and the QRS complexes. The nurse would interpret this dysrhythmia as: 1. Complete heart block. 2. Sinus bradycardia. 3. Atrial fibrillation. 4. Supraventricular tachycardia.
When interviewing an applicant, the nurse manager understands that an appropriate question is:
a. "What is your age?" b. "What is your marital status?" c. "What is your religious preference?" d. "What is your educational background?"