Final answer:
Shortness of breath is the nursing assessment finding consistent with embolized vegetations from the tricuspid valve as they can cause pulmonary emboli leading to respiratory distress.
Step-by-step explanation:
A nursing assessment finding for a patient with infective endocarditis that would be consistent with embolized vegetations from the tricuspid valve is shortness of breath. This symptom occurs because the emboli from the tricuspid valve would travel to the lungs, potentially causing pulmonary emboli which lead to respiratory distress. Other symptoms such as flank pain may suggest embolization to the kidneys, splenomegaly may be due to septic emboli lodging in the spleen, and mental status changes could potentially indicate embolic strokes, but these are not directly associated with embolization from the tricuspid valve.