Question

A client is prescribed digoxin 0.25 mg by mouth daily. The health care provider has written a new order to give metoprolol tartrate 25 mg twice a day by mouth. In assessing the client prior to administering the medications, which finding should the nurse report to the health care provider?

A
Respiratory rate of 16
B
Heart rate of 76 BPM
C
Urine output of 50 mL/hour
D
Blood pressure of 94/60

Answer 1

The nurse should report the blood pressure of 94/60 before administering the medications, as the combination of digoxin and metoprolol could result in hypotension.

Step-by-step explanation:

The nurse should report a blood pressure of 94/60 to the health care provider before administering digoxin and metoprolol tartrate. Both medications affect heart function: digoxin increases the force of heart contractions, and metoprolol, a beta blocker, reduces the heart rate and blood pressure. The relatively low blood pressure (94/60) could be further lowered by the beta blocker, which might cause hypotension and compromise the patient's hemodynamic stability. Therefore, this low reading is of more immediate concern than the other listed vitals that are within normal ranges.