The nurse suspects that a 59-year-old client has experienced angina pe

The nurse suspects that a 59-year-old client has experienced angina pectoris. Which of the fol-lowing assessment questions will most likely produce information that will assist in the diagno-sis?

1. “How long did the pain last?”
2. “Can you describe the pain for me?”
3. “Did the pain radiate into your left arm?”
4. “What were you doing when the pain started?”

ANSWER

ANS: 1
Unlike the pain resulting from a myocardial infarction, anginal pain usually lasts from 1 to 15 minutes. The remaining questions could also relate to cardiac pain from other origins.