Nursing Interventions for DVT and PE Prevention
Nursing Interventions for DVT and PE Prevention ( 5 Questions)
A nurse is assessing a client who has DVT and reports sudden onset of dyspnea and chest pain.
The nurse should suspect that the client has developed which of the following complications?
A pulmonary embolism is a condition in which a blood clot blocks an artery in the lung, preventing blood flow to part of the lung. A pulmonary embolism can be a complication of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which is a condition in which a blood clot forms in a deep vein, usually in the leg. If the clot breaks off and travels to the lung, it can cause a pulmonary embolism. The symptoms of a pulmonary embolism include sudden onset of dyspnea (difficulty breathing) and chest pain, which may worsen with coughing or deep breathing.
Heart failure is a condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. Heart failure can cause dyspnea and chest pain, but it is usually a chronic condition that worsens over time, not a sudden onset event.
Pneumonia is an infection that inflames the air sacs in the lungs, causing them to fill with fluid or pus.
Pneumonia can cause dyspnea and chest pain, but it also causes other symptoms such as fever, cough, and sputum production. Pneumonia usually develops gradually, not suddenly.
Pericarditis is an inflammation of the sac that surrounds the heart, called the pericardium.
Pericarditis can cause chest pain, but it is usually sharp and stabbing, and it changes with body position or breathing.
Pericarditis can also cause fever, fatigue, and palpitations.
Pulmonary embolism. A pulmonary embolism is a condition in which a blood clot blocks an artery in the lung, preventing blood flow to part of the lung. A pulmonary embolism can be a complication of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which is a condition in which a blood clot forms in a deep vein, usually in the leg. If the clot breaks off and travels to the lung, it can cause a pulmonary embolism. The symptoms of a pulmonary embolism include sudden onset of dyspnea (difficulty breathing) and chest pain, which may worsen with coughing or deep breathing.
Heart failure is wrong because heart failure is a condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. Heart failure can cause dyspnea and chest pain, but it is usually a chronic condition that worsens over time, not a sudden onset event.
Pneumonia is wrong because pneumonia is an infection that inflames the air sacs in the lungs, causing them to fill with fluid or pus.
Pneumonia can cause dyspnea and chest pain, but it also causes other symptoms such as fever, cough, and sputum production. Pneumonia usually develops gradually, not suddenly.
Pericarditis is wrong because pericarditis is an inflammation of the sac that surrounds the heart, called the pericardium.
Pericarditis can cause chest pain, but it is usually sharp and stabbing, and it changes with body position or breathing.
Pericarditis can also cause fever, fatigue, and palpitations.
Pericarditis does not cause dyspnea unless it leads to cardiac tamponade, which is a rare complication where fluid accumulates in the pericardial space