On arrival for a patient with severe abdominal pain, an Emergency Medical Responder tells you that he is concerned because the blood pressure they obtained was 146/88 mmHg and the patient states no history of high blood pressure. He states that it may be a good idea to treat the patient for hypertension as well as the abdominal pain. Your best response would be:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

It is important to take another blood pressure reading to compare the two values and check if the patient's blood pressure is consistently elevated. Pain and anxiety can temporarily increase blood pressure, so it is important to rule out these potential causes before considering treatment for hypertension. If the blood pressure remains elevated, further medical evaluation may be necessary. Calling for ALS assistance or assuming the patient needs to be transported with lights and sirens based purely on one blood pressure reading can be premature and may not be the best course of action. Option B is also not appropriate as it is dangerous to give medications without proper evaluation and diagnosis.

On Arrival for a Patient with Severe Abdominal Pain, an Emergency