Nursing Interventions for Angina: A Comprehensive Case Study Analysis

This report focuses on nursing interventions for angina, a condition characterized by chest pain due to reduced blood flow to the heart. The case study involves a patient with a history of hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, highlighting the significance of lifestyle factors. The primary nursing priorities include dietary supervision, emphasizing a diet rich in whole grains, healthy oils, and unsaturated fats while limiting refined foods, excessive salt, and saturated fats. Physical activity is also crucial, as it helps reduce plaque formation in the heart and manage risk factors like high cholesterol and diabetes. The third priority involves the administration of oral medications such as aspirin, nitrates, beta-blockers, and statins to manage symptoms and prevent further complications. This comprehensive approach aims to improve the patient's cardiac health and overall well-being by addressing lifestyle factors and implementing appropriate medical interventions.

Running Head: NURSING INTERVENTIONS
NURSING INTERVENTIONS FOR ANGINA
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note

1NURSING INTERVENTIONS
Angina is the complication of pain or discomfort in the chest when the heart is not able to
get sufficient amount of oxygen in the blood, it happens when the arteries of the heart is
narrowed due to atherosclerosis. The sensation is like a squeezing and pressurizing feeling in the
chest. The pain can reach the jaw, neck, arms, back and shoulders, and it may also lead to
ingestion. Mr. X had similar tendencies so he was diagnosed with Angina as he had previous
complains of chest pain and breathlessness before this incident. His dietary intake and physical
inactivity is the major reason for this condition, as he has a medical history of hypertension,
diabetes mellitus type 2, dyslipidemia and is an obese. He consumes fast food during his work
hours and rarely involves in physical activity due to which he keeps complaining about breathing
issues and prickling pain in the chest. He needs nursing interventions so that he can maintain his
disease as he has been admitted for this complication. The 3 nursing priorities will be dietary
supervision, teaching about the importance of physical activity in cardiovascular diseases and
administration of oral medications.
The first nursing priority is dietary supervision that includes recommending a meal pan
that has vegetables, whole grains, healthy oils, unsaturated fats, nuts and seeds, and limiting
refined food, sugar, excess salt, saturated fats, processed food, baked products and alcohol. A
healthy diet helps in reducing cholesterols in the blood, which is essential for the blood to easily
travel from the arteries to all parts of the body for the supply of oxygen. This is only possible if
the blood reaches the heart without getting blocked due to the plaque formation, which is also
known as atherosclerosis. A diet high in unsaturated fat helps controlling cholesterol and
glucose.
The second nursing priority is involvement of physical activity in daily life as it helps in
reducing plaque in the heart. Nurses should guide the patient about the benefits of exercise to

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improve cardiac health as it is evident from many researches. It has a strong impact on the risk
factors that leads to cardiovascular diseases, stroke and cardiac arrest. Physical activity helps in
reducing bad cholesterol known as low density lipoprotein (LDL) that includes trans-fat and
saturated fats. Regularity in exercise and physical activity can reduce the chances of diabetes and
obesity because it controls glucose levels and insulin secretion.
The third and the most important nursing priority for the patient is the administration of
oral medications that are necessary for angina and hypertension. The essential medications are
aspirin, which reduces the ability of the blood to clot as it enhances the smooth flow of blood,
nitrates that are prescribed medications for angina as it helps in relaxing the blood vessel, beta
blockers for inhibiting the effects of epinephrine that reduces the pace of the heart flow leading
to less flow, which is dangerous for the heart and Statins that are needed to lower blood
cholesterol, which is a necessity for the prevention of plaque formation.