Heart Failure Review

Which findings may indicate right-sided heart failure?

• Pulmonary edema

• Orthopnea

• Distended neck veins

• Shortness of breath

When being discharged home, to assess fluid balance, a patient with heart failure should be instructed to .....

• Check pulse oximetry daily

• Assess radial pulses

• Monitor blood pressure daily

• Monitor weight daily

A patient with exacerbation of left sided heart failure has been admitted to the cardiac unit. What assessment finding would the nurse expect?

• Jugular vein distention

• Right upper quadrant pain

• Dependent edema

• Bibasilar crackles

The patient is due to receive lisinopril 10mg this am. The VS are : T 97.8, HR 90, RR 20, BP: 110/78, Pox: 96% RA. What does the nurse do next?

• Notify the provider & Hold this medication

• Administer the medication as ordered

• I don't know

• Notify the provider that the patient needs a decreased dose

Your patient will be going home with a new diagnosis of heart failure: list three things you will teach the patient

The patient with systolic failure will present with

• low ejection fraction

• high ejection fraction

• normal ejection fraction

• Not sure about this one

The patient has been taking digoxin for diagnosis of heart failure. Patient arrives to the emergency room complaining of vision changes, fatigue, dizziness, low heart rate, nausea. What does the nurse do next?

• Notify the health care provider: digoxin toxicity

• Reassure the patient that there are normal side effects

• Administer the patient's missed dose

• I don't know

Why do ACE inhibitors work so well for heart failure?

• Decreases afterload & workload of the heart

• Increases fluid retention

• Suppress activation of the sympathetic nervous system

• Improve contractility of the heart