An 80-year-old patient with congestive heart failure has a viral upper respiratory infection. The patient asks the primary care NP about treating the fever, which is 38.5° C. The NP should:
a. recommend acetaminophen.
b. recommend high-dose acetaminophen.
c. tell the patient that antibiotics are needed with a fever that high.
d. tell the patient a fever less than 40° C does not need to be treated.
A
Patients with congestive heart failure may have tachycardia from fever that aggravates their symptoms, so fever should be treated. High doses should be given with caution in elderly patients because of possible decreased hepatic function. Antibiotics should not be given without evidence of bacterial infection.
You might also like to view...
A child has been hospitalized with rubella. Which action by the charge nurse is most appropriate?
A. Do not allow pregnant nursing staff in the room. B. Inform the parents that fresh produce is not allowed. C. Place the child on contact isolation precautions. D. Use standard precautions when caring for the child.
Prescribing for women during their childbearing years requires constant awareness of the possibility of:
1. Pregnancy unless the women is on birth control 2. Risk for silent bacterial or viral infections of the genitalia 3. High risk for developmental disorders in their infants 4. Decreased risk for abuse during this time
Mrs. Stanton is a 79-year-old widow who presents to your office for a routine BP visit. You note a new pulsatile mass in the right neck at the carotid artery. Which of the following is the most likely cause for this?
A) Anxiety B) Carotid artery aneurysm C) Kinking of the artery D) Tortuous aorta
A mother rescues two of her four children from a house fire. In an emergency department, she cries, "I should have gone back in to get them. I should have died, not them"
Which of the following responses by the nurse is an example of reflection? A. "The smoke was too thick. You couldn't have gone back in." B. "You're feeling guilty because you weren't able to save your children." C. "Focus on the fact that you could have lost all four of your children." D. "It's best if you try not to think about what happened. Try to move on."