Nursing Care of Individuals with CAD

CAD is a very inconvenient and dangerous disease.  The narrowing of the coronary arteries is no laughing matter and may change somebody's life for the worse.  Fortunately, at the hospital, there is a great cohesive team that works together in order to provide the best care for the patient, including doctors, pharmacists, nurses, physical therapy, social work, nutrition, etc.  Each has different roles, and for nurses, the care of individuals with CAD differs from all of the other different professions.  

Nursing care for CAD is split into some basic steps, according to the site Nursingfile (1): 

-Keep nitroglycerin, aspirin, and beta blockers available in order to treat CAD, or when signs of angina (chest pain) show up. Educate the patient about what the drugs do or any potential side effects that they carry. 

-Keep a close eye on blood pressure and heart rate/rhythm.  Attach EKG leads to the patient in order to obtain heart rate/rhythm readings. Try to look for any abnormal readings/readings with large deviations from the "usual" measurement. Also, keep a close eye on the EKG readings for any abnormalities. 

-Record duration and grade of pain (0-10).  Also record the amount of medication required to relieve it and accompanying symptoms.

-Monitor the patient for any CAD symptoms, such as chest pain, hypotension, coronary artery spasm, and bleeding from the catheter site.  

-Educate the patient about cardiac catheterization to the patient, along with any procedures and events for the patient in the future. 

-Help the patient cope with stress and identify activities that precipitate pain. 

-Inform the patient to follow the prescribed drug regime. 

-Encourage the patient to change their way of life for the better, including maintaining the perscribed diet and encouraging them to practice regular, light to moderate exercise.  Also, if the patient is smoking, or drinking alcohol, educate them about the dangers of those substances in relation to their condition and let them make their decision to quit.

-Be on high alert for any signs of myocardial infarction (heart attack) and be prepared to perform CPR.  

I would post a video here, however, the darn search engine for videos on this blog needs to be fixed, so here is the link to a very helpful video showing acute coronary syndrome (partial/full blockage of blood to the heart): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnHDVyB1bkU 

Remember to have fun, but most importantly stay educated and healthy!!!

Works Cited: 

1) Nursing Interventions for Coronary Artery Disease. (2010, September 21). Retrieved February 19, 2015, from http://nursingfile.com/nursing-care-plan/nursing-interventions/nursing-interventions-for-coronary-artery-disease.html