A patient is recovering from an acute myocardial infarction. The nurse realizes that the final extent of cardiac damage depends on which factor?

1. Reperfusion of the ischemic zone
2. Patient's ethnicity
3. Patient's gender
4. Development of heart block


1
Rationale 1: Surrounding the area of infarction are the zone of injury and the zone of ischemia. These zones are made of potentially viable tissues. They can become necrotic and die, or be reperfused and remain functional. The goal of treatment for an AMI is to establish reperfusion as early as possible to prevent necrosis and salvage the myocardium.
Rationale 2: The patient's ethnicity does not impact the final extent of cardiac damage.
Rationale 3: The patient's gender does not impact the final extent of cardiac damage.
Rationale 4: Developing a heart block does not impact cardiac damage.

Nursing

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