Reference no: EM133554562

Case Study: H.W. is a 65 year old female patient 4 days post op from a 3 vessel CABG. Her surgery went well and her postoperative period has been uneventful. She is now preparing for discharge. She has a sternal incision with staples intact, it is open to air. They used her saphenous vein for the procedure. Her discharge orders include:

Aspirin 325 mg PO Daily

Metoprolol 25 mg PO Daily

Clopidogrel 75 mg PO Daily

Lisinopril 20 mg PO Daily

Simvastatin 40 mg PO Daily at bedtime

Nitroglycerin 0.4 mg sublingual tablets PRN for chest pain

Activity as tolerated

Low fat, 2gm Sodium/day diet

Keep incisions clean, monitor daily

Question 1:

1. Discuss the things you would teach the patient about her medications.
2. What does she need to know about her nitroglycerin in particular? How is it used? When is it used? Are there any special storage considerations?

Question 2: Discuss activity recommendations you would make for this patient? What might be the limitations early on? What kinds of things should she monitor as she increases her activity?

1. What would you tell her to "monitor" regarding her incisions? What should she report to the physician? Are there any limitations in regards to her incisions?
2. What things would you recommend she report to her physician? For what might she need to call 911?