A nurse manager is teaching a newly licensed nurse about pain management for an older adult client. Which of the following statements by the nurse indicates an understanding of the teaching?

Rationale for correct choices:

• Administer oxygen at 2 L/min via nasal cannula: The client's oxygen saturation has dropped to 92% on room air, indicating mild hypoxia. Supplemental oxygen should be administered to improve myocardial oxygenation and reduce ischemia while further interventions are being prepared.
• Administer sublingual nitroglycerin: Nitroglycerin is a first-line medication for chest pain caused by suspected myocardial ischemia. It promotes vasodilation, reduces myocardial oxygen demand, and provides symptom relief. Administering it promptly can help prevent further cardiac damage.

Rationale for incorrect choices:

• Request a prescription for an increase in statin medication: Although the client has hyperlipidemia, increasing the statin dose is not an immediate priority during an acute chest pain episode. Lipid management is important long-term but does not address the acute ischemic event.
• Prepare the client for cardiac catheterization: Cardiac catheterization may eventually be necessary, but it is not the nurse’s first action. The priority is to stabilize the client’s symptoms (oxygenation and pain) before preparing for any invasive diagnostic or therapeutic procedure.
• Check a STAT cardiac troponin: Troponin has already been obtained and is within normal limits at this point. While serial troponins may be needed later, immediate nursing priorities focus on symptom relief and oxygenation rather than repeating the test right away.
• Request a prescription for a beta-blocker: Beta-blockers may be used in the treatment of suspected myocardial infarction to reduce heart rate and myocardial oxygen demand. However, their initiation typically follows pain relief, oxygenation, and diagnostic confirmation, not as the first nursing action.

Rationale for correct choices:

• Macrosomia: Post-term infants (≥42 weeks gestation) have prolonged exposure to intrauterine nutrients, increasing the risk of excessive fetal growth. Macrosomia is common and can lead to complications such as shoulder dystocia or birth trauma.
• Meconium aspiration syndrome: As gestation progresses beyond term, placental function may decline, increasing fetal stress. This can trigger passage of meconium in utero and aspiration during delivery, especially with late decelerations suggesting uteroplacental insufficiency.

Rationale for incorrect choices:

• Intraventricular hemorrhage: This condition is typically associated with preterm infants due to fragile cerebral vasculature. A post-term newborn is not at increased risk for IVH.
• Bronchopulmonary dysplasia: BPD is a chronic lung disease most often seen in premature infants requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation and oxygen therapy. It is not a common concern for post-term infants.