Final answer:
For a patient experiencing chest pain, the nurse should expect to facilitate diagnostic studies such as auscultation, chest radiograph, sputum sample collection, blood and urine tests, and potentially other specific assays to properly diagnose the underlying cause.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a patient complains of chest pain and discomfort, several diagnostic studies might be anticipated by the nurse to assess the patient's condition. The initial and one of the simplest diagnostic techniques is auscultation using a stethoscope to listen for abnormal heart and lung sounds. As chest pain can be indicative of various health issues, including angina or a myocardial infarction (MI), the following diagnostic tests could be anticipated:
- A chest radiograph (X-ray) to visualize the chest cavity and identify any structural abnormalities, opacities, or signs of disease such as pneumonia.
- Collection of sputum samples for microbiological evaluation and cytology to detect potential bacterial or viral infections.
- Blood, urine, and possibly other body fluids' laboratory testing to check for systemic signs of infection or cardiac enzymes that may indicate an MI.
- A complement fixation assay or direct fluorescence antibody staining may be needed for specific infectious diseases diagnostics.
- Use of a pulse oximeter to measure oxygen saturation levels in the blood, especially if there are indicators of respiratory involvement or hypoxemia.
These tests will provide valuable information to identify the cause of the chest pain and guide subsequent treatment.