Which diagnostic test will be most useful to the nurse in determining whether a patient admitted with acute shortness of breath has heart failure?
a. Serum troponin
b. Arterial blood gases
c. B-type natriuretic peptide
d. 12-lead electrocardiogram
ANS: C
B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is secreted when ventricular pressures increase, as they do with heart failure. Elevated BNP indicates a probable or very probable diagnosis of heart failure. A twelve-lead electrocardiogram, arterial blood gases, and troponin may also be used in determining the causes or effects of heart failure but are not as clearly diagnostic of heart failure as BNP.
You might also like to view...
When the solute and solvents are both _________, the percent strength represents the number of
milliliters of medication in each 100 mL of the mixture. Fill in the blank(s) with correct word
A nurse and a client are discussing managed care. The nurse explains that the managed care model was designed for which of the following reasons?
A) Increasing client satisfaction B) Controlling costs while maintaining quality of care C) Providing a distinct area of care D) Providing an all-RN staff
What changes to the hematologic system is related to age?
a. Platelet adhesiveness decreases. b. Lymphocyte function decreases. c. Cellular immunity increases. d. Erythrocyte reproduction accelerates.
During a health history, a male client tells the nurse that he "can't breathe well" at night when he is lying down and has trouble sleeping because he wakes up with trouble breathing. The nurse would assess this client further for which of the f
A) Pneumonia B) Tuberculosis C) Bronchitis D) Heart failure