Nur 107 Chapters 21-27 Cardiovascular/ Brunner & Suddath’s Latest Solution(Score A+)

A client with a history of right-sided heart failure lives in a long-term care facility. In the daily assessment, the nurse is required to record the level of this client's peripheral edema. Which would be the main area for examination? Correct response: feet and ankles Explanation: Edema occurs when blood is not pumped efficiently or plasma protein levels are inadequate to maintain osmotic pressure. When blood has nowhere else to go, the extra fluid enters the tissues. Particular areas for examination are the dependent parts of the body, such as the feet and ankles. The area over, not below, the sacrum is another area prone to edema. Reference: Hinkle, J.L., & Cheever, K.H., Brunner & Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing, 15th ed., Philadelphia, Wolters Kluwer, 2022, Chapter 21: Assessment of Cardiovascular Function, Assessment of the Skin and Extremities, p. 664. Chapter 21: Assessment of Cardiovascular Function - Page 664 It is important for a nurse to understand cardiac hemodynamics. For blood to flow from the right ventricle to the pulmonary artery, the following must occur: Correct response: Right ventricular pressure must be higher than pulmonary arterial pressure. Explanation: For the right ventricle to pump blood in need of oxygenation into the lungs via the pulmonary artery, right ventricular pressure must be higher than pulmonary arterial pressure. Reference: