CMC Cardiac Medicine Certification

Answer- D - The priority action performed by the nurse should be to record the blood pressure. A patient with history of congestive heart failure and dyspnea may have pulmonary oedema, which can cause severe hypertension. Therefore, measuring the patient's blood pressure should be the first action. Lying down flat on the examination table is likely to worsen the dyspnea, and the patient may become more distressed. Drawing blood for chemistry and arterial blood gas analysis is required, but need not be a priority action before measuring blood pressure.