ATI LPN
Pharmacology and the Nursing Process 10th Edition Test Bank
Chapter 22 : Antihypertensive Drugs Questions
Question 1 of 5
A patient's blood pressure elevates to 270/150 mm Hg, and a hypertensive emergency is obvious. He is transferred to the intensive care unit and started on a sodium nitroprusside drip to be titrated per his response. With this medication, the nurse knows that the maximum dose of this drug should be infused for how long?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Sodium nitroprusside is a potent vasodilator and may lead to extreme decreases in the patient's blood pressure. For this reason, it is never infused at the maximum dose for more than 10 minutes. If this drug does not control a patient's blood pressure after 10 minutes, it will most likely be ordered to be discontinued. The other times listed are incorrect.
Question 2 of 5
A patient with primary hypertension is prescribed drug therapy for the first time. The patient asks how long drug therapy will be needed. Which answer by the nurse is the correct response?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: There is no cure for hypertension, and treatment will be lifelong. The other answers are not appropriate.
Question 3 of 5
A patient who has been taking antihypertensive drugs for a few months states that a new, persistent dry cough is very bothersome. The nurse knows that this cough is an adverse effect of which class of antihypertensive drugs?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: ACE inhibitors cause a characteristic dry, nonproductive cough that reverses when therapy is stopped. The other drug classes do not cause this cough.
Question 4 of 5
A patient who is now in heart failure after a recent myocardial infarction will be receiving a new prescription for eplerenone. The nurse is reviewing the patient's laboratory results and will report which of these as a potential contraindication?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Eplerenone is contraindicated in patients with elevated serum potassium levels (higher than 5.5 mEq/L). The other answers are incorrect.
Question 5 of 5
A patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus has been found to have trace proteinuria. The prescriber writes an order for an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor. What is the main reason for prescribing this class of drug for this patient?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: ACE inhibitors have been shown to have a protective effect on the kidneys because they reduce glomerular filtration pressure. This is one reason that they are among the cardiovascular drugs of choice for diabetic patients. The other drugs do not have this effect.