Reference no: EM133460958

Assignment:

A 68-year-old woman arrives in the emergency department stating to the nurse, "I think I had a heart attack." She states that earlier that day while on her daily 3-mile walk, she had an episode of substernal chest pain that radiated to her left arm with shortness of breath and it lasted a couple of minutes but was resolved with rest. The pain returned shortly after arriving home. Again the pain was relieved with rest. On admission to the ED her ECG rhythm is normal sinus rhythm. She has no abnormal heart sounds or laboratory values. VS are stable. PO2 by pulse oximetry is 97% on room air.

She is diagnosed with angina. The patient is seen by a cardiologist who prescribes nitroglycerin tablets and one aspirin per day.

1. What differences in assessment/clinical data would the nurse expect if the patient was experiencing a myocardial infarction?
2. What would the nurse explain to the patient about the diagnosis of angina? What teaching would the nurse provide for this patient regarding her diagnosis of angina?
3. What are the differences between stable vs. unstable angina?
4. What instructions should this patient have received regarding managing her chest pain at home?