Question

Body System Interrelatedness

S.P. is a 75-year-old female who presents to the provider's office with fatigue.

Subjective Data

PMH: HTN, hyperlipidemia, MI 3 years ago

Fatigue started about a month ago, getting worse

Relieved with rest, exacerbated with activity

Denies chest pain

Ankles swollen

Objective Data

Vital signs: T 37 P 112 R 18 BP 110/54

Lungs: bilateral lower lobe crackles

O2 Sat = 94%

Skin = cool to touch

CV = heart rate regular, positive peripheral pulses, ECG = no changes

+2 edema bilateral ankles

Medications: Metoprolol 20 mg per day, 325 mg of aspirin per day (Jarvis, 2012).

• What other questions should the nurse ask about the fatigue? Provide a rationale for why these questions are important to your assessment.
• What kind of education would you provide S.P. based on the findings above and why?
• Think of some abnormal findings, and data, from assessments of other body systems/regions and why they might prompt you to look more closely at the heart.

Answer 1

Ask the patient about both medication time interval for taking medicine. some medications should not be used together it causes drug interaction. It is important to know from the health care professionals how often you use one or both of the medicine, time interval, precautions, etc. because of metoprolol increases aspirin absorption and plasma concentration.
Educate the patient to take metoprolol at the same time daily with or after meals and avoid taking the drug together and avoid combination the drugs. Provide time duration for each drug at least 6 hours interval. never overdose the medicine if you forget the first medication if it is time for the next medicine.
abnormal findings;
Ankle swollen, bilateral lower lobe crackles
O2 sat -94%
Patient heart rate 112
Fatigue
skin cool to touch
Patient history of HTN, hyperlipidemia, and MI for 3 years
Metoprolol is a heart medication belongs to beta-blockers. it blocks the epinephrine on beta-1 receptors within heart tissue and causes the heart to pump slowly when metoprolol action increase with an overdose it blocks the beta 2 receptors in the lungs and airways that affect the breathing, it also increases the symptoms of irregular heart rate, swelling of face, feet, fingers and increases fatigue.