A patient admitted to the ICU after experiencing a massive pulmonary embolism has an arterial catheter and a pulmonary artery catheter in place. When evaluating whether treatment has been effective in improving pulmonary hypertension, the nurse will monitor for

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) is a major contributor to pulmonary hypertension, and a decrease would indicate that pulmonary hypertension was improving. An increased pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) would indicate that the pulmonary hypertension was worsening. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) is a reflection of systemic pressure and does not provide any direct evidence of any improvement in pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP) reflects pressure in the left ventricle and is not useful in monitoring pulmonary pressures.

A Patient Admitted to the ICU After Experiencing a Massive