Ati lpn mental health exam
Ati lpn mental health exam ( 36 Questions)
A nurse is reviewing information about warfarin with a client who has recently developed atrial fibrillation. Which of the following statements should the nurse include in the discussion?
The statement that warfarin dissolves clots in the bloodstream is incorrect. Warfarin does not dissolve existing clots. Instead, it is an anticoagulant that works by decreasing the production of certain clotting factors in the blood, which helps prevent the formation of new clots.
This statement is not accurate regarding the action of warfarin. Warfarin does not affect the electrical impulses of the heart. Medications that slow the response of the ventricles to fast atrial impulses are typically antiarrhythmic drugs, not anticoagulants like warfarin.
This is the correct statement. Warfarin is prescribed for clients with atrial fibrillation to reduce the risk of stroke. Atrial fibrillation increases the risk of forming blood clots in the heart, which can then travel to the brain, causing a stroke. Warfarin's anticoagulant effect helps to prevent these clots from forming.
Warfarin does not help maintain a normal heart rhythm. It is not an antiarrhythmic drug but an anticoagulant. The purpose of warfarin in atrial fibrillation is to prevent stroke by reducing the risk of clot formation, not to correct the heart rhythm.
Choice A reason: The statement that warfarin dissolves clots in the bloodstream is incorrect. Warfarin does not dissolve existing clots. Instead, it is an anticoagulant that works by decreasing the production of certain clotting factors in the blood, which helps prevent the formation of new clots.
Choice B reason: This statement is not accurate regarding the action of warfarin. Warfarin does not affect the electrical impulses of the heart. Medications that slow the response of the ventricles to fast atrial impulses are typically antiarrhythmic drugs, not anticoagulants like warfarin.
Choice C reason: This is the correct statement. Warfarin is prescribed for clients with atrial fibrillation to reduce the risk of stroke. Atrial fibrillation increases the risk of forming blood clots in the heart, which can then travel to the brain, causing a stroke. Warfarin's anticoagulant effect helps to prevent these clots from forming.
Choice D reason: Warfarin does not help maintain a normal heart rhythm. It is not an antiarrhythmic drug but an anticoagulant. The purpose of warfarin in atrial fibrillation is to prevent stroke by reducing the risk of clot formation, not to correct the heart rhythm.