A 50-year-old man is admitted to the ED with a diagnosis of suspected pulmonary embolus. He is dyspneic and anxious. The physician plans to start heparin therapy. Which laboratory test results are consistent with a diagnosis of pulmonary embolism?

The nurse practitioner orders heparin therapy for a patient diagnosed with pulmonary embolism. Which statement about the use of heparin therapy for pulmonary embolism is true?

When the nurse dorsiflexes the patient’s foot, the patient complains of calf pain. The nurse correctly interprets this response as an indication of a positive:

A 70-year-old man was admitted to the hospital 2 months ago with a diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. He had been treated with heparin and discharged on warfarin sodium (Coumadin) therapy after the embolism resolved. Earliertoday, he became confused and ingested 100 mg of warfarin. He is now being readmitted with hematemesis and bright-red rectal bleeding. During the initial assessment of this patient, the emergency department (ED) nurse should be particularly alert for:

Which electrocardiographic finding would the nurse expect to find in a patient with pulmonary embolism?

Which nursing diagnosis would be the highest priority for a patient with a diagnosis of pulmonary embolism?

The nurse would define anatomic dead space (VD) as: