Cardio Quiz

The nurse is providing instructions to a client with a diagnosis of hypertension regarding high-sodium items to be avoided. The nurse instructs the client to avoid consuming which item?

• Bananas

• Broccoli

• Antacids

• Cantaloupe

Answer explanation

The sodium level can increase with the use of several types of products, including toothpaste and mouthwash; over-the-counter medications such as analgesics, antacids, laxatives, and sedatives; and softened water and mineral water. Clients are instructed to read labels for sodium content. Water that is bottled, distilled, deionized, or demineralized may be used for drinking and cooking. Fresh fruits and vegetables are low in sodium.

The nurse in the medical unit is reviewing the laboratory test results for a client who has been transferred from the intensive care unit (ICU). The nurse notes that a cardiac troponin T assay was performed while the client was in the ICU. The nurse determines that this test was performed to assist in diagnosing which condition?

• Heart failure

• Atrial fibrillation

• Myocardial infarction

• Ventricular tachycardia

Answer explanation

Cardiac troponin T or cardiac troponin I have been found to be protein markers in the detection of myocardial infarction, and assay for these proteins is used in some institutions to aid in the diagnosis of a myocardial infarction.

The nurse is performing an admission assessment on a client with a diagnosis of angina pectoris who takes nitroglycerin for chest pain at home. During the assessment the client complains of chest pain. The nurse would immediately ask the client which question?

• "Where is the pain located?"

• "Are you having any nausea?"

• "Are you allergic to any medications?"

• "Do you have your nitroglycerin with you?"

Answer explanation

If a client complains of chest pain, the initial assessment question is to ask the client about the pain intensity, location, duration, and quality. Although the questions in the remaining options all may be components of the assessment, none of these questions is the initial assessment question for this client.

The nurse is reinforcing instructions to a hospitalized client with heart block about the fundamental concepts regarding the cardiac rhythm. The nurse plans to explain to the client that the normal site in the heart responsible for initiating electrical impulses is which site?

• Bundle of His

• Purkinje fibers

• Sinoatrial (SA) node

• Atrioventricular (AV) node

Answer explanation

The SA node is responsible for initiating electrical impulses that are conducted through the heart. The impulse leaves the SA node and travels down through internodal and interatrial pathways to the AV node. From there, impulses travel through the bundle of His to the right and left bundle branches and then to the Purkinje fibers. This group of specialized cardiac cells is referred to as the cardiac conduction system.

The nurse is assessing a client with an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Which assessment finding by the nurse is unrelated to the aneurysm?

• Pulsatile abdominal mass

• Hyperactive bowel sounds in the area

• Systolic bruit over the area of the mass

• Subjective sensation of "heart beating" in the abdomen

Answer explanation

Hyperactive bowel sounds are not related specifically to an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Not all clients with an abdominal aortic aneurysm exhibit symptoms. Those who do may describe a feeling of the "heart beating" in the abdomen when supine or being able to feel the mass throbbing. A pulsatile mass may be palpated in the middle and upper abdomen. A systolic bruit may be auscultated over the mass.