A patient who has atrial fibrillation is taking warfarin and has an INR of 2.5.The patient reports having frequent headaches and asks for an over-the-counter pain reliever.The nurse will recommend which medication?

This is because swelling in one leg could indicate a new or worsening deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which is a serious condition that can lead to pulmonary embolism or other complications. The client should report this finding to the provider immediately and seek medical attention.

Choice A) Bruising at injection site is wrong because bruising is a common and expected side effect of enoxaparin therapy, especially if the client is using the same injection site repeatedly.

The client should be instructed to rotate the injection sites and apply gentle pressure after each injection to minimize bruising.

Choice B) Redness at injection site is wrong because redness is also a common and expected side effect of enoxaparin therapy, as it indicates a local inflammatory response to the medication.

The client should be advised to avoid rubbing or scratching the injection site and to apply a cold compress if needed.

Choice D) Mild pain at injection site is wrong because mild pain is also a common and expected side effect of enoxaparin therapy, as it reflects the needle insertion and the medication delivery.

The client should be reassured that the pain will subside shortly and to use a different injection site for the next dose.

Normal ranges for enoxaparin therapy are based on the client’s weight, indication, and renal function.

The usual dose for DVT prophylaxis is 40 mg subcutaneously once daily, and the usual dose for DVT treatment is 1 mg/kg subcutaneously every 12 hours.

The client should have regular blood tests to monitor the anti-factor Xa level, which should be between 0.5 and 1.0 IU/mL for DVT prophylaxis and between 0.6 and 1.0 IU/mL for DVT treatment.

The client should also have regular platelet counts to check for heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), which is a rare but serious complication of enoxaparin therapy that causes a drop in platelets and an increased risk of thrombosis.

The normal platelet count range is 150,000 to 450,000/mm3.

Verapamil is a calcium channel blocker that is used to treat variant angina by dilating the coronary arteries and relieving the chest pain caused by spasms.It also reduces blood pressure and heart rate, but these are not the expected outcomes for variant angina.

Choice A is wrong because verapamil decreases heart rate, not increases it.This can help reduce the oxygen demand of the heart, but it is not the main goal of therapy for variant angina.

Choice B is wrong because verapamil decreases contractility, not increases it.This can also help reduce the oxygen demand of the heart, but it is not the main goal of therapy for variant angina.

Choice D is wrong because verapamil reduces blood pressure, not increases it.This can help lower the workload of the heart, but it is not the main goal of therapy for variant angina.

Normal ranges for heart rate are 60 to 100 beats per minute, for blood pressure are 120/80 mm Hg or lower, and for contractility are measured by ejection fraction, which is normally 55% or higher.