When monitoring for the effectiveness of treatment for a patient with a large anterior wall myocardial infarction, the most important information for the nurse to obtain is
a. central venous pressure (CVP).
b. systemic vascular resistance (SVR).
c. pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR).
d. pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP).
ANS: D
PAWP reflects left ventricular end diastolic pressure (or left ventricular preload) and is a sensitive indicator of cardiac function. Because the patient is high risk for left ventricular failure, the PAWP must be monitored. An increase will indicate left ventricular failure. The other values would also provide useful information, but the most definitive measurement of changes in cardiac function is the PAWP.
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a. is b. is not
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Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).