A nurse is caring for an infant who has coarctation of the aorta.

Which of the following should the nurse identify as an expected finding?

The nurse should first administer oxygen at 2 L/min via nasal cannula because the client has signs of hypoxemia (low oxygen saturation) and respiratory distress (increased respiratory rate) that may worsen the chest pain and myocardial ischemia. Oxygen therapy can help improve oxygen delivery to the heart muscle and reduce the workload of the heart.
The nurse should then administer sublingual nitroglycerin as prescribed because nitroglycerin is a vasodilator that can help relieve chest pain by dilating the coronary arteries and improving blood flow to the heart. Nitroglycerin can also lower blood pressure and reduce cardiac preload and afterload, which can decrease myocardial oxygen demand.
Other choices:

• Prepare the client for cardiac catheterization: This may be a later intervention if the chest pain persists or if the client has a confirmed myocardial infarction, but it is not the first priority for the nurse. Cardiac catheterization is an invasive procedure that involves inserting a catheter into a large artery and advancing it to the coronary arteries to visualize any blockages or stenosis. The procedure may also involve angioplasty or stent placement to restore blood flow to the affected area.

• Request a prescription for an increase in statin: This may be a long-term intervention to lower the client’s LDL cholesterol and prevent further plaque formation in the coronary arteries, but it is not an immediate intervention for chest pain. Statins are lipid-lowering drugs that can reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in clients with CAD, but they do not have a direct effect on chest pain or myocardial ischemia.

• Check a STAT cardiac troponin: This may be a diagnostic test to confirm or rule out a myocardial infarction, but it is not an intervention for chest pain. Cardiac troponin is a protein that is released into the bloodstream when there is damage to the heart muscle. Elevated levels of cardiac troponin indicate a myocardial infarction or other cardiac injury.

• Request a prescription for a beta-blocker: This may be an adjunctive therapy to reduce chest pain and prevent complications, but it is not the first-line intervention for chest pain. Beta-blockers are drugs that block the effects of adrenaline on the heart and blood vessels, which can lower heart rate, blood pressure, and myocardial oxygen demand. Beta-blockers can also prevent arrhythmias and reduce mortality in clients with CAD.

Having interdisciplinary team meetings for the client on a regular basis.

This action best promotes communication among staff caring for the client because it allows for consistent and coordinated care planning, information sharing, and goal setting for the client who has expressive aphasia and right hemiparesis following a stroke.

Choice A is wrong because posting swallowing precautions at the head of the client’s bed does not promote communication among staff, but rather informs them of the client’s risk of aspiration due to dysphagia, which is a common complication of stroke.

Choice B is wrong because noting changes in the treatment plan in the client’s medical record is a standard practice that does not necessarily enhance communication among staff, but rather documents the client’s progress and interventions.

Choice D is wrong because recording the client’s progress in the nurses’ notes is also a standard practice that does not necessarily enhance communication among staff but rather provides a summary of the client’s status and care.

Expressive aphasia is an acquired language disorder that affects the ability to produce spoken or written language, while right hemiparesis is a weakness or partial paralysis of the right side of the body.

Both of these conditions are caused by damage to the left hemisphere of the brain, which is responsible for language and motor control of the right side of the body. Stroke and traumatic brain injury are common causes of left hemisphere-damage