RN Nursing · Health Assessment · Practice question
What nursing intervention is primarily aimed at reducing the risk of rupture in a patient with an abdominal aortic aneurysm?
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Administer antihypertensive medications as prescribed.
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Increase daily fluid intake.
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Apply heat to the lower back.
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Encourage high-protein diet.
Answer & explanation
Correct: Administer antihypertensive medications as prescribed.
The primary nursing intervention to reduce the risk of rupture in a patient with an abdominal aortic aneurysm is administering antihypertensive medications as prescribed. Elevated blood pressure directly increases the hemodynamic stress — specifically wall tension — exerted on the already weakened and dilated aortic wall. By lowering blood pressure, antihypertensive agents such as beta-blockers reduce cardiac output and the force of ventricular ejection, thereby decreasing the mechanical strain on the aneurysm and reducing rupture risk. This aligns with Laplace's law, which states that wall tension is proportional to pressure and radius. Increasing daily fluid intake would raise circulating volume and could elevate blood pressure, potentially worsening wall tension. Applying heat to the lower back provides no therapeutic benefit for aneurysm management and could theoretically cause vasodilation in surrounding tissues without addressing the aneurysm itself. Encouraging a high-protein diet has no direct role in aneurysm management; while nutrition supports tissue health, it does not mitigate the hemodynamic forces driving rupture risk. Strict blood pressure control through pharmacological management is the cornerstone of conservative treatment for abdominal aortic aneurysm.
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