The patient, diagnosed with angina, tells the nurse he is having chest pain. There is an order for oral sublingual nitroglycerin as needed. What action should the nurse take?

A) Place two nitroglycerin tablets under the patient's tongue and call the physician.
B) Place one tablet under the patient's tongue and repeat every 5 minutes for total of three tablets until pain has been relieved.
C) Have the patient swallow a tablet with a full glass of water and repeat in 10 minutes.
D) Apply a nitroglycerin transdermal patch to the patient's back.


B
Feedback:
The correct administration for sublingual administration is to place one tablet under the patient's tongue and repeat every 5 minutes for a total of three tablets until pain is relieved. If pain is not relieved after three sublingual tablets, the health care provider should be notified. Transdermal application would be inappropriate and nitroglycerin is not swallowed. Administering two tablets at one time would be an inappropriate dosage and could cause serious adverse effects.

Nursing

You might also like to view...

You are assessing a healthy adolescent girl as a part of a sports physical. When it comes time to listen to her heart and lungs, you decide to:

A) Perform auscultation with the stethoscope placed firmly over her clothing to protect her privacy. B) Perform auscultation by holding the diaphragm lightly on her clothing to eliminate the "scratchy noise." C) Perform auscultation with the diaphragm placed firmly on her skin to minimize extra noise. D) Defer the exam, because she is healthy and it may agitate the girl.

Nursing

A licensed practical nurse is aware that the costs associated with health care have been rising steadily and are predicted to continue to rise for the foreseeable future. These increases in costs are the result of what factors?

A) The shortage of nurses and the need to educate more physicians and other care providers B) The aging of the American population and increasing costs for disease treatment C) The rise of antibiotic resistant organisms ("superbugs") and nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infections D) Population shifts from urban areas to rural areas and the increased costs of provided care in remote locations

Nursing

The home health nurse assesses a patient who creates elaborate excuses for not leaving home. Further questioning reveals the patient had not left home for 6 months. The nurse documents these findings as:

a. mania. b. depression. c. agoraphobia. d. anxiety.

Nursing

Which clinical manifestation may occur in the child who is receiving too much methimazole (Tapazole) for the treatment of hyperthyroidism (Graves' disease)?

a. Seizures c. Pancreatitis or cholecystitis b. Enlargement of all lymph glands d. Lethargy and somnolence

Nursing