patient report dizziness and mild chest pain what should the nurse do

by Everardo Littel 6 min read

Chest Pain and Dizziness: Causes, Other Symptoms, …

29 hours ago It may be hard to distinguish angina from other types of chest pain such as heartburn due to indigestion. Urgent medical attention is needed for any unexplained or new chest pain. Signs and Symptoms of Chest Pain. Pain in the chest; Chest pain may radiate to the neck, shoulders, jaw, back, or arms; Shortness of breath; Nausea; Dizziness; Fatigue >> Go To The Portal


When to seek medical help for chest pain and dizziness?

While chest pain and dizziness might not always indicate something serious, a person should seek medical help if they experience sudden chest pain lasting longer than 15 minutes. They should also seek help if they also experience chest pain along with other symptoms, including: shortness of breath that can occur with or without chest discomfort

What are the symptoms of chest pain and dizziness?

Along with chest pain and dizziness, symptoms include: In the heart, the aortic valve connects the left ventricle and the aorta. If the valve’s opening becomes narrow, it’s called aortic stenosis. This is a serious condition, as it can reduce blood flow from your heart to the rest of your body.

What are the evaluation of the patient with dizziness?

The evaluation of a patient with dizziness 1 Acute prolonged severe dizziness. Patients who present with new onset severe dizziness, imbalance,... 2 Recurrent spontaneous attacks of dizziness. 3 Recurrent positionally triggered dizziness. 4 Chronic persistent dizziness. Anxiety disorders commonly present with chronic continuous dizziness.

What should I do if my patient has chest pain?

When your patient has chest pain, you'll need to use your assessment skills to determine whether the patient is having an acute MI or some other life-threatening illness.

What should a nurse do when a patient has chest pain?

Nursing ManagementManage chest pain.Bed rest.Provide oxygen.Administer aspirin and nitroglycerin.Place patient with head of the bed elevated at 45 degrees.Make patient comfortable.Hook up to monitor.Check vitals.More items...•

What is the first thing to do if a patient has chest pain?

If you or someone else may be having a heart attack, follow these first-aid steps:Call 911 or emergency medical assistance. ... Chew aspirin. ... Take nitroglycerin, if prescribed. ... Begin CPR on the person having a heart attack.More items...

What would you do if your patient complained of chest pain?

If you're having severe chest pain or new or unexplained chest pain or pressure that lasts more than a few moments, call 911 or emergency medical services. Don't waste any time for fear of embarrassment if it's not a heart attack. Even if there's another cause for your chest pain, you need to be seen right away.

What is the first thing a person should do if someone is experiencing signs and symptoms of a heart attack?

What to do if you or someone else may be having a heart attackCall 911 or your local emergency number. ... Chew and swallow an aspirin while waiting for emergency help. ... Take nitroglycerin, if prescribed. ... Begin CPR if the person is unconscious.More items...

What is chest pain protocol?

This is an essential tool to support decision-making in the Emergency and Urgent Care Unit, in identifying 25% of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) / coronary artery disease (CAD) that would be released without a correct diagnosis.

What assessments should be done for chest pain?

Determining the cause of chest pain depends on the patient's history and objective data from the physical exam and diagnostic tests. The most important diagnostic tool when evaluating chest pain is the ECG.

What is the first intervention for a client experiencing MI?

The immediate priorities for a patient with suspected myocardial infarction are pain control and access to advanced life support facilities. Survival after myocardial infarction is largely dependent on residual cardiac function and so the earliest therapeutic priority is salvage of threatened ischaemic myocardium.

What actions must be taken in case of heart attack?

Have the person sit down, rest, and try to keep calm. Loosen any tight clothing. Ask if the person takes any chest pain medicine, such as nitroglycerin for a known heart condition, and help them take it.

What to do if you suspect someone is having a heart attack?

Learn first aid for someone who may be having a heart attackThe person may have persistent, vice-like chest pain, which may spread to their arms, neck, jaw, back or stomach. ... Call 999 as soon as possible. ... Help the person to sit down. ... Reassure them while you wait for the ambulance.

What care should you provide for a victim possibly having a heart attack?

If at any time you notice an obvious sign of life, such as normal breathing or movement, stop CPR and monitor the victim's condition. Administer emergency oxygen, if available and you are trained and authorized to do so.

What are the symptoms of chest pain?

They should also seek help if they also experience chest pain along with other symptoms, including: shortness of breath that can occur with or without chest discomfort. feeling sick. pain that spreads to the arms, neck, jaw, or back. chest tightness.

How to stop chest pain after workout?

People may need to rest and ice the affected area for up to 20 minutes at a time, three times a day. It may also help keep the chest elevated during sleep.

What is it called when you breathe fast and you feel lightheaded?

Hyperventilation is deep or rapid breathing that typically occurs due to anxiety or panic. People may refer to this as overbreathing. Excessive breathing can lead to low levels of carbon dioxide in a person’s blood, resulting in the following symptoms: dizziness or lightheadedness. chest pain.

What are the symptoms of heart disease?

Heart conditions. If a person has a heart condition, they may experience dizziness, chest pain, and other accompanying symptoms. Some of these conditions include: Arrhythmia: Occurs when the heart beats too fast, too slowly, or unpredictably.

How to treat carbon dioxide?

To do this, a person can purse their lips and breathe. Alternatively, they can cover their mouth and one nostril while breathing through the other nostril. If the cause is anxiety or depression, a person can seek help from a psychologist or psychiatrist.

How long does a panic attack last?

According to Mind, a charity based in the United Kingdom, a panic attack occurs when physical anxiety symptoms build up very quickly and last for a short period, often between 5­–20 minutes.

Can chest pain be caused by heart problems?

Speak with a doctor a person experiences any form of chest pain. There are many different causes of chest pain and dizziness, and in many cases, chest pain is not due to a heart problem. However, a doctor should evaluate any new form of chest pain. A person can call a healthcare professional to find out if they need to visit ...

Introduction

Chest pains are a common complaint in the emergency room. You may be experiencing cardiac chest pain caused by coronary artery disease, arrhythmia, or other conditions that affect the heart.

What is Chest Pain?

Chest pain refers to discomfort, tightness, pressure, or soreness in the chest area. Chest pains are also known as angina pectoris. The most common symptom of a problem with the oesophagus is chest pain. The oesophagus is the tube connecting the mouth and stomach.

Risk Factors for Chest Pain

There are risk factors for both cardiac chest pain and non-cardiac chest pain. These risk factors include:

Nursing Diagnosis for Chest Pain

Your doctor will ask you about your symptoms, do an examination and may also order tests such as X-rays or MRI scans to help determine the cause of your chest pain.

Nursing Care Plans

The purpose of this care plan is to provide a framework for the management of patients who are admitted to the cardiac care unit or other acute settings and require special monitoring.

Nursing Interventions for Chest Pains

The nurse prepares the emergency cardiac care kit and monitors patients for signs that may indicate their condition is worsening, including increasing pain, abdominal discomfort or chest pains; respiratory distress; shortness of breath and coughing up blood.

Treatment

Cardiac rehabilitation programs begin with a cardiac event and incorporate the following elements: behavioral change, education, exercise training, emotional support, smoking cessation and social support. The program’s goal is to reduce or eliminate the risk of another heart attack while improving physical condition and quality of life.

What is the first step in assessing a patient presenting with dizziness?

The first step in assessing a patient presenting with dizziness is to define the symptom ( table 1 ). The patient's report is subjective and thus can be unreliable and inconsistent.#N#2#N#For example, vertigo, defined as an illusion of movement, indicates an imbalance within the vestibular system. However, just because a patient reports “vertigo” does not mean that the cause is a vestibular disorder; similarly, just because a patient denies vertigo does not mean that a vestibular disorder is excluded. Even patients with obvious vestibular nystagmus during caloric testing may deny vertigo, and instead report a feeling of lightheadedness, “wooziness,” or disorientation. Lightheadedness is a very nonspecific type of dizziness. When accompanied by a near-faint symptom, it is suggestive of diffuse decreased cerebral blood flow, such as occurs with cardiac arrhythmia or orthostatic hypotension. But lightheadedness also occurs with anxiety, metabolic derangements, drug intoxication, and vestibular disorders. Some patients describe their dizziness as an out-of-body experience, floating, or an internal spinning sensation (i.e., no visualized spinning of the environment). These descriptions suggest a psychophysiological symptom (i.e., a combination of psychiatric factors and physiologic responses such as hyperventilation or neurotransmitter release). Some patients, particularly patients with migraine, are chronically sensitive to motion (self and surround). Genetic factors presumably are important but the mechanism is unknown. Disequilibrium refers to a sense of unsteadiness when standing or walking and is a common accompanying symptom of vertigo or lightheadedness.

What is dizziness in medicine?

Summary. Dizziness is the quintessential symptom presentation in all of clinical medicine. It can stem from a disturbance in nearly any system of the body. Patient descriptions of the symptom are often vague and inconsistent, so careful probing is essential.

What is the most common oculomotor abnormality observed in patients with dizziness?

Spontaneous and gaze-evoked ny stagmus. In primary gaze, the most common oculomotor abnormality observed in patients with dizziness is spontaneous nystagmus. Finding spontaneous nystagmus indicates an imbalance within the central or peripheral vestibular system.

Which side of the canal leads to right beating nystagmus?

In the most common form of horizontal canal BPPV, a head turn to the right leads to right-beating nystagmus, whereas a head turn to the left leads to left-beating nystagmus (the abnormal side is the side with the more intense nystagmus).

Is vertigo a vestibular disorder?

However, just because a patient reports “vertigo” does not mean that the cause is a vestibular disorder; similarly, just because a patient denies vertigo does not mean that a vestibular disorder is excluded.

Can bilateral vestibulopathy be detected?

Chronic persistent dizziness and imbalance associated with movement-induced oscillopsia should raise suspicion for bilateral vestibulopathy, which can be readily identified at the bedside by a head thrust test that is positive to both sides.

Is parsimony necessary for dizziness?

In general, no special tools are required. The causes of dizziness range from benign to life-threatening disorders, and features that distinguish among these may be subtle. When diagnostic testing is considered, parsimony should be the rule. Identifying common peripheral vestibular disorders is a priority.

What is chest pain assessment?

When your patient has chest pain, you'll need to use your assessment skills to determine whether the patient is having an acute MI or some other life-threatening illness. By knowing the signs and symptoms of the various causes for chest pain, you can quickly assess and determine whether the patient has a life-threatening condition and provide appropriate and possibly lifesaving care.

What is visceral pain?

The decreased blood flow through an occluded or partially occluded coronary artery resulting in the sensation of heaviness or crushing-type feeling in the chest is an example of visceral pain. Somatic pain, on the other hand, is described as sharp, piercing, and specific to a local area.

What is nociceptive pain?

Nociceptive pain arises from specific pain receptors and is classified as somatic or visceral in nature. Visceral pain originates from specific internal organs, such as the heart, liver, bowels, or bladder. The pain receptors in the viscera react to stretch, inflammation, and ischemia.

Is chest pain a nociceptive or mechanical pain?

3–5 Pain in the chest region is mostly induced by mechanical, chemical, or thermal means and is considered to be nociceptive (see Mechanism of acute pain ).

Can chest pain be physical?

Although some physical findings are common for the various causes of chest pain, a patient with chest pain may not have all of these signs, and some patients may not have any signs at all (see Chest pain physical assessment clues ).

What are the symptoms of chest pain?

Nausea, indigestion, heartburn or abdominal pain. Shortness of breath. Lightheadedness, dizziness, fainting. Sweating. In women, chest pain is not always severe or even the most noticeable symptom. Women tend to have more-vague symptoms, such as nausea or back or jaw pain, which may be more intense than the chest pain.

What is chest wall pain?

Chest wall pain is a type of muscle pain. Bruised chest muscles — from excessive coughing, straining or minor injury can cause harmless chest pain. One type of chest wall pain is costochondritis. Costochondritis causes pain and tenderness in and around the cartilage that connects your ribs to your breastbone (sternum).

What is chest pain caused by?

Angina. Angina is chest pain or discomfort caused by reduced blood flow to your heart muscle. It's relatively common, but it can be hard to tell the difference from other types of chest pain, such as indigestion. Angina can be stable or unstable.

Why does my chest hurt?

Chest pain is a common reason that people seek medical treatment. Anxiety, indigestion, infection, muscle strain, and heart or lung problems can all cause chest pain. If your chest pain is new, changing or otherwise unexplained, seek help from a doctor.

What does it feel like to have a heart attack?

Someone having a heart attack may have any or all of the following: Chest pain, pressure or tightness, or a squeezing or aching sensation in the center of the chest. Pain or discomfort that spreads to the shoulder, arm, back, neck, jaw, teeth or occasionally upper abdomen. Nausea, indigestion, heartburn or abdominal pain.

How do you know if you have a stroke?

Sudden difficulty speaking, loss of vision, weakness or paralysis of one side of your body, such as having a stroke.

Can you take aspirin if you have chest pain?

Don't take aspirin if you have chest pain due to an injury. Also, don't take aspirin if you are allergic to aspirin, have bleeding problems or take another blood-thinning medication, or if your doctor previously told you not to do so. Take nitroglycerin, if prescribed.

How often is a PT VS monitored?

-Pt VS will be monitored every 30 minutes by the nurse.-Nurse will assess patient chest pain every hour and educate the patient on reporting an increase in chest discomfort to the nurse immediately.

How often do you draw a troponin level?

-The patient will report a decrease in his chest pain by rating his chest pain less 3 on 1-10 scale.-Troponins levels will be drawn every 6 hours times 3 times and any abnormal values will be report to the Cardiologist immediately per md order.