The nurse understands that one of the therapeutic effects of propranolol is:

A 63-year-old man arrives at the ED in an ambulance, complaining of a persistent, dull epigastric pain radiating to the interscapular region; the pain began 2 days ago. The nurse notes that he is alert and has good coloring and that his skin is warm and dry. Vital signs include right-arm blood pressure (BP) 120/60 mmHg, left-arm BP 220/100 mmHg, right radial pulse 2+, and left radial pulse 3+. The nurse notes bilateral basilar crackles and a systolic cardiac murmur at the second right intercostal space. The patient has a 33-year history of hypertension, for which he is taking medications. The physician prescribes an antihypertensive agent for the patient. The main objective of therapy is to maintain:

The nurse understands that the most common cause of hypertension is:

A 50-year-old man arrives at the ED complaining of headache, nausea, vomiting, and blurred vision. His blood pressure is 210/144 mmHg. When asked about his medication history, the patient states that he usually takes clonidine hydrochloride (Catapres) but that he hasn’t taken it for 2 days because he ran out of medication. Which assessment finding is least important in alerting the nurse to the patient’s need for prompt medical attention?

Nitroprusside sodium (Nipride) is commonly used in hypertensive emergencies. The nurse understands that this medication:

The nurse understands that a rapid IV infusion of nitroprusside may cause the patient to experience:

Which EKG finding would the nurse expect for a patient whose potassium level is 6.5 mEq/L?

The nurse understands that the most serious adverse effect of IV nitroglycerin therapy is:

A 50-year-old man arrives at the ED complaining of headache, nausea, vomiting, and blurred vision. His blood pressure is 210/144 mmHg. When asked about his medication history, the patient states that he usually takes clonidine hydrochloride (Catapres) but that he hasn’t taken it for 2 days because he ran out of medication. The nurse suspects this patient is in a hypertensive crisis, which is probably the result of: