Peripheral vascular Flashcards
A 65-year-old patient is experiencing pain in his left calf when he exercises that disappears after resting for a few minutes. The nurse recognizes that this description is most consistent with _______ the left leg.
a.
Venous obstruction of
b.
Claudication due to venous abnormalities in
c.
Ischemia caused by a partial blockage of an artery supplying
d.
Ischemia caused by the complete blockage of an artery supplying
ANS: C
Ischemia is a deficient supply of oxygenated arterial blood to a tissue. A partial blockage creates an insufficient supply, and the ischemia may be apparent only during exercise when oxygen needs increase.
. A 67-year-old patient states that he recently began to have pain in his left calf when climbing the 10 stairs to his apartment. This pain is relieved by sitting for approximately 2 minutes; then he is able to resume his activities. The nurse interprets that this patient is most likely experiencing:
a.
Claudication.
b.
Sore muscles.
c.
Muscle cramps.
d.
Venous insufficiency.
ANS: A
Intermittent claudication feels like a cramp and is usually relieved by rest within 2 minutes. The other responses are not correct.
- A patient complains of leg pain that wakes him at night. He states that he has been having problems with his legs. He has pain in his legs when they are elevated that disappears when he dangles them. He recently noticed a sore on the inner aspect of the right ankle. On the basis of this health history information, the nurse interprets that the patient is most likely experiencing:
a.
Pain related to lymphatic abnormalities.
b.
Problems related to arterial insufficiency.
c.
Problems related to venous insufficiency.
d.
Pain related to musculoskeletal abnormalities.
ANS: B
Night leg pain is common in aging adults and may indicate the ischemic rest pain of peripheral vascular disease. Alterations in arterial circulation cause pain that becomes worse with leg elevation and is eased when the extremity is dangled.
The nurse is preparing to assess the ankle-brachial index (ABI) of a patient. Which statement about the ABI is true?
a.
Normal ABI indices are from 0.5 to 1.0.
b.
Normal ankle pressure is slightly lower than the brachial pressure.
c.
The ABI is a reliable measurement of peripheral vascular disease in individuals with diabetes.
d.
An ABI of 0.9 to 0.7 indicates the presence of peripheral vascular disease and mild claudication.
ANS: D
Use of the Doppler stethoscope is a noninvasive way to determine the extent of peripheral vascular disease. The normal ankle pressure is slightly greater than or equal to the brachial pressure. An ABI of 0.9 to 0.7 indicates the presence of peripheral vascular disease and mild claudication. The ABI is less reliable in patients with diabetes mellitus because of claudication, which makes the arteries noncompressible and may give a false high-ankle pressure.
The nurse is reviewing an assessment of a patients peripheral pulses and notices that the documentation states that the radial pulses are 2+. The nurse recognizes that this reading indicates what type of pulse?
a.
Bounding
b.
Normal
c.
Weak
d.
Absent
ANS: B
When documenting the force, or amplitude, of pulses, 3+ indicates an increased, full, or bounding pulse, 2+ indicates a normal pulse, 1+ indicates a weak pulse, and 0 indicates an absent pulse.
