Question

The nurse reminds the client who has received a heart transplant to change positions slowly. Why is this instruction a priority?

a. Rapid position changes can create shear and friction forces, which can tear out internal vascular sutures.
b. The new vascular connections are more sensitive to position changes, leading to increased intravascular pressure.
c. The new heart is denervated and is unable to respond to decreases in blood pressure caused by position changes.
d. The recovering heart diverts blood flow away from the brain when the client stands, increasing the risk for stroke.

Answer 1

The nurse reminds the client to change positions slowly after a heart transplant because the new heart is denervated and unable to respond to decreases in blood pressure. The sympathetic reflex causes the heart to beat faster and the blood vessels to constrict when a person stands up, helping to maintain blood delivery to the brain and keep it oxygenated.

Step-by-step explanation:

The nurse reminds the client who has received a heart transplant to change positions slowly because the new heart is denervated and unable to respond to decreases in blood pressure caused by position changes. When a person stands up, proprioceptors indicate that the body is changing position, and a signal goes to the central nervous system (CNS). The CNS then sends a signal to the sympathetic division of the upper thoracic spinal cord neurons, which cause the heart to beat faster and the blood vessels to constrict. These changes help maintain the rate of blood delivery to the brain, keeping it well oxygenated and preventing interruptions to cognitive and neural processes.