Question

A 43-year-old man was transferring a load of firewood from his front driveway to his backyard woodpile at 10 a.m. when he experienced a heaviness in his chest and dyspnea. He stopped working and rested, and the pain subsided. At noon, the pain returned. At 1:30 p.m., his wife took him to the emergency department. Around 2 p.m., the emergency department physician diagnoses an anterior myocardial infarction (MI). The nurse should anticipate which immediate order by the physician?

1. Lidocaine administration




2. Cardiac stress test




3. Serial liver enzyme testing




4. Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA)

Answer 1

The nurse should anticipate an immediate order for the administration of a thrombolytic agent, such as tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), to dissolve the clot and restore blood flow in the treatment of an anterior myocardial infarction.

Step-by-step explanation:

Immediate Treatment for Myocardial Infarction

A 43-year-old man presenting with chest heaviness and dyspnea who is diagnosed with an anterior myocardial infarction (MI) should expect immediate medical interventions aimed at restoring blood flow and minimizing heart damage. The emergency department physician is likely to order the administration of a thrombolytic agent, specifically tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), which is designed to dissolve the clot causing the infarction.

Immediate treatments for MI are critical to limit heart muscle damage and preserve cardiac function. These can include supplemental oxygen, aspirin, nitroglycerine, and thrombolytic therapy such as tPA. A cardiac stress test is not an immediate treatment and is instead used to diagnose the presence of coronary artery disease in a stable patient. Serial liver enzyme testing and lidocaine administration are not standard immediate treatments for acute MI. Lidocaine might be used if there are certain types of arrhythmias, which are not indicated in this scenario.