Nursing Interventions for Pericarditis
November 16, 2010 | In: Nursing Interventions
Nursing Interventions: Pericarditis
- Stress the importance of bed rest,
- Assist the patient with bathing if necessary.
- Provide a bedside commode because this method puts less stress on the heart rather than using a bed pan.
- Place the patient in upright position to relieve dyspnea and chest pain.
- Provide analgesics to relieve pain and oxygen to prevent tissue hypoxia.
- Assess the patient’s cardiovascular status frequently, watching for signs of cardiac tamponade.
- Monitor the patient’s pain level and the effectiveness of analgesics.
- Explain all tests and treatments to the patient.
- Before giving antibiotics, obtain a patient history for allergy.
- Tell the patient to resume his daily activities slowly and to schedule rest periods into his daily routine for a while.