Chapter 30

The nurse is taking a health history of a new patient. The patient reports experiencing pain in his left lower leg and foot when walking. This pain is relieved with rest. The nurse notes that the left lower leg is slightly edematous and is hairless. When planning this patient’s subsequent care, the nurse should most likely address what health problem?

While assessing a patient the nurse notes that the patient’s ankle-brachial index (ABI) of the right leg is 0.40. How should the nurse best respond to this assessment finding?

The nurse is providing care for a patient who has just been diagnosed with peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAD). What assessment finding is most consistent with this diagnosis?

The nurse is admitting a 32-year-old woman to the presurgical unit. The nurse learns during the admission assessment that the patient takes oral contraceptives. Consequently, the nurse’s postoperative plan of care should include what intervention?

A nurse is creating an education plan for a patient with venous insufficiency. What measure should the nurse include in the plan?

The nurse is caring for a patient with a large venous leg ulcer. What intervention should the nurse implement to promote healing and prevent infection?

The nurse is caring for a patient who returned from the tropics a few weeks ago and who sought care with signs and symptoms of lymphedema. The nurse’s plan of care should prioritize what nursing diagnosis?

An occupational health nurse is providing an educational event and has been asked by an administrative worker about the risk of varicose veins. What should the nurse suggest as a proactive preventative measure for varicose veins?

A patient comes to the walk-in clinic with complaints of pain in his foot following stepping on a roofing nail 4 days ago. The patient has a visible red streak running up his foot and ankle. What health problem should the nurse suspect?

The triage nurse in the ED is assessing a patient who has presented with complaint of pain and swelling in her right lower leg. The patient’s pain became much worse last night and appeared along with fever, chills, and sweating. The patient states, “I hit my leg on the car door 4 or 5 days ago and it has been sore ever since.” The patient has a history of chronic venous insufficiency. What intervention should the nurse anticipate for this patient?

A nurse in a long-term care facility is caring for an 83-year-old woman who has a history of HF and peripheral arterial disease (PAD). At present the patient is unable to stand or ambulate. The nurse should implement measures to prevent what complication?

A nurse is admitting a 45-year-old man to the medical unit who has a history of PAD. While providing his health history, the patient reveals that he smokes about two packs of cigarettes a day, has a history of alcohol abuse, and does not exercise. What would be the priority health education for this patient?

A nurse has written a plan of care for a man diagnosed with peripheral arterial insufficiency. One of the nursing diagnoses in the care plan is altered peripheral tissue perfusion related to compromised circulation. What is the most appropriate intervention for this diagnosis?

The nurse is caring for a 72-year-old patient who is in cardiac rehabilitation following heart surgery. The patient has been walking on a regular basis for about a week and walks for 15 minutes 3 times a day. The patient states that he is having a cramp-like pain in the legs every time he walks and that the pain gets “better when I rest.” The patient’s care plan should address what problem?

A nurse in the rehabilitation unit is caring for an older adult patient who is in cardiac rehabilitation following an MI. The nurse’s plan of care calls for the patient to walk for 10 minutes 3 times a day. The patient questions the relationship between walking and heart function. How should the nurse best reply?

The nurse is caring for a patient who is admitted to the medical unit for the treatment of a venous ulcer in the area of her lateral malleolus that has been unresponsive to treatment. What is the nurse most likely to find during an assessment of this patient’s wound?

The nurse is preparing to administer warfarin (Coumadin) to a client with deep vein thrombophlebitis (DVT). Which laboratory value would most clearly indicate that the patient’s warfarin is at therapeutic levels?

The clinic nurse is caring for a 57-year-old client who reports experiencing leg pain whenever she walks several blocks. The patient has type 1 diabetes and has smoked a pack of cigarettes every day for the past 40 years. The physician diagnoses intermittent claudication. The nurse should provide what instruction about long-term care to the client?

A patient who has undergone a femoral to popliteal bypass graft surgery returns to the surgical unit. Which assessments should the nurse perform during the first postoperative day?

You are caring for a patient who is diagnosed with Raynaud’s phenomenon. The nurse should plan interventions to address what nursing diagnosis?

A patient presents to the clinic complaining of the inability to grasp objects with her right hand. The patient’s right arm is cool and has a difference in blood pressure of more than 20 mm Hg compared with her left arm. The nurse should expect that the primary care provider may diagnose the woman with what health problem?

A nurse working in a long-term care facility is performing the admission assessment of a newly admitted, 85-year-old resident. During inspection of the resident’s feet, the nurse notes that she appears to have early evidence of gangrene on one of her great toes. The nurse knows that gangrene in the elderly is often the first sign of what?

The nurse is caring for an acutely ill patient who is on anticoagulant therapy. The patient has a comorbidity of renal insufficiency. How will this patient’s renal status affect heparin therapy?

The nurse is assessing a woman who is pregnant at 27 weeks’ gestation. The patient is concerned about the recent emergence of varicose veins on the backs of her calves. What is the nurse’s best response?

Graduated compression stockings have been prescribed to treat a patient’s venous insufficiency. What education should the nurse prioritize when introducing this intervention to the patient?

The nurse caring for a patient with a leg ulcer has finished assessing the patient and is developing a problem list prior to writing a plan of care. What major nursing diagnosis might the care plan include?

How should the nurse best position a patient who has leg ulcers that are venous in origin?

A patient with advanced venous insufficiency is confined following orthopedic surgery. How can the nurse best prevent skin breakdown in the patient’s lower extremities?

A nurse on a medical unit is caring for a patient who has been diagnosed with lymphangitis. When reviewing this patient’s medication administration record, the nurse should anticipate which of the following?

A postsurgical patient has illuminated her call light to inform the nurse of a sudden onset of lower leg pain. On inspection, the nurse observes that the patient’s left leg is visibly swollen and reddened. What is the nurse’s most appropriate action?

A nurse is closely monitoring a patient who has recently been diagnosed with an abdominal aortic aneurysm. What assessment finding would signal an impending rupture of the patient’s aneurysm?

A nurse is reviewing the physiological factors that affect a patient’s cardiovascular health and tissue oxygenation. What is the systemic arteriovenous oxygen difference?

A nurse is assessing a new patient who is diagnosed with PAD. The nurse cannot feel the pulse in the patient’s left foot. How should the nurse proceed with assessment?

A medical nurse has admitted four patients over the course of a 12-hour shift. For which patient would assessment of ankle-brachial index (ABI) be most clearly warranted?

An older adult patient has been treated for a venous ulcer and a plan is in place to prevent the occurrence of future ulcers. What should the nurse include in this plan?

A 79-year-old man is admitted to the medical unit with digital gangrene. The man states that his problems first began when he stubbed his toe going to the bathroom in the dark. In addition to this trauma, the nurse should suspect that the patient has a history of what health problem?

When assessing venous disease in a patient’s lower extremities, the nurse knows that what test will most likely be ordered?