A patient is admitted to the emergency department with severe recurrent convulsive seizures.
Would the nurse expect to order for the use in emergency control of status epileptic?

Choice A rationale

Heart failure occurs when the heart muscle cannot pump blood effectively, leading to a backup of blood and fluid buildup in the lungs, legs, and other parts of the body. This explanation is accurate and helps the patient understand the nature of their condition.

Choice B rationale

Reduced oncotic pressure due to increased protein levels is not a primary factor in heart failure. Heart failure is related to the heart’s inability to pump effectively, not protein levels affecting oncotic pressure.

Choice C rationale

Hydrostatic pressure pushing fluids out of the capillaries is not directly related to heart failure. In heart failure, the issue lies in the heart’s inability to pump blood efficiently, leading to fluid buildup rather than fluid being pushed out of capillaries.

Choice D rationale

The decrease in venous pressure from the backup of blood does not cause heart failure. Heart failure results from the heart’s inability to pump blood effectively, leading to increased pressure and fluid buildup, not a decrease in venous pressure.

Choice A rationale

Cardiac glycosides are not known for increasing heart rate. Instead, they tend to decrease heart rate by enhancing vagal tone and increasing the refractory period of the atrioventricular node, which helps in controlling heart rate, especially in atrial fibrillation.

Choice B rationale

Cardiac glycosides actually increase the force of myocardial contractions. They inhibit the sodium-potassium ATPase pump, which leads to an increase in intracellular sodium and calcium levels in the myocardial cells, thus increasing the force of contraction.

Choice C rationale

Cardiac glycosides do not significantly decrease conduction velocity. They primarily affect the contractility and heart rate but their influence on conduction velocity is relatively mild.

Choice D rationale

Cardiac glycosides improve renal blood flow and increase urine output by increasing the cardiac output and reducing the activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. This helps in relieving symptoms of heart failure.