A patient admitted to the coronary care unit (CCU) with an MI and frequent premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) has health care provider orders for continuous amiodarone infusion, IV nitroglycerin infusion, and morphine sulfate 2 mg IV every 10 minutes until there is relief of pain. The patient says, "This is the worst pain I have ever had. Am I going to die?" Based on these data, the nurse identifies a priority nursing diagnosis of

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

All the nursing diagnoses may be appropriate for this patient, but the data indicate that the priority diagnosis is pain, a physiologic stressor. The patient's anxiety will also be reduced if the pain is resolved. There are no data indicating that the patient is experiencing cardiogenic shock or activity intolerance.

A Patient Admitted to the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) with an MI