Question

During an exam, the nurse notes that the blood pressure of a client at 22 weeks' gestation is lower, and her heart rate is 12 beats per minute higher than at her last visit. How should the nurse interpret these findings? Combined, both of these findings are very concerning and warrant further investigation.

Answer 1

Answer:

Both findings are normal at this point of the pregnancy.

Explanation:

Heart racing, shortness of breath and tiredness and low blood pressure. Anyone who is pregnant or has had a pregnancy has certainly noticed that during this period the heart muscle beats faster and the blood pressure tends to drop even when at rest. The reason is that during pregnancy the amount of blood pumped by the heart per minute increases between 30 and 50%. As the heart works harder, the resting heart rate goes from 70 beats per minute to 80 or 100.

During pregnancy, there are 2 liters more blood circulating through the pregnant woman's body, so the findings exposed in the question are normal for this moment. All of this to provide oxygen and nutrients to the placenta and fetus. Patients with no heart problem will experience mild discomfort when walking, climbing a flight of stairs, or doing any other activity that requires effort. She suffers minor palpitations that do not cause chest pain. But all this goes after childbirth. However, the pregnant woman can not stop medical monitoring to monitor these variations in blood pressure and heart rate.