Question

The patient has hypertension and asks the nurse how this can lead to heart failure. What is the best response by the nurse?

1. "Hypertension causes resistance in your blood vessels, or afterload; your heart works harder, and weakens."
2. "Hypertension limits the ability of your heart to stretch before emptying, or afterload; your heart works harder, and weakens."
3. "Hypertension causes resistance in your aorta, or afterload; your heart works harder and weakens."
4. "Hypertension limits the amount of blood entering your left ventricle, or afterload; your heart works harder, and weakens."

Answer 1

Hypertension causes resistance in your blood vessels, or afterload; your heart works harder, and weakens. This can lead to heart failure.

Step-by-step explanation:

The best response by the nurse is option 1: "Hypertension causes resistance in your blood vessels, or afterload; your heart works harder, and weakens." Hypertension is a major risk factor for heart disease, and it forces the heart to pump harder to overcome the increased resistance in the blood vessels. This prolonged strain on the heart can lead to heart failure, where the heart becomes unable to pump blood effectively to the vital organs.