A patient with endocarditis develops sudden leg pain with pallor, tingling, and a loss of peripheral pulses. What should be the initial nursing intervention?
1. Notify the physician about these findings.
2. Elevate the leg above the level of the heart.
3. Administer prn analgesia.
4. Perform passive range-of-motion (PROM) exercises to stimulate circulation.
1
Rationale 1: The physician should be notified of these finding immediately.
Rationale 2: Elevating the leg above the heart can worsen the ischemia.
Rationale 3: The patient may require analgesia, but this is not the priority intervention.
Rationale 4: Passive range-of-motion exercises will increase tissue demand for oxygen and increase ischemia.
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