A Nurse in the Rehabilitation Unit Is Caring for an Older

Multiple Choice

A nurse in the rehabilitation unit is caring for an older adult patient who is in cardiac rehabilitation following an MI. The nurses plan of care calls for the patient to walk for 10 minutes 3 times a day. The patient questions the relationship between walking and heart function. How should the nurse best reply?

A) The arteries in your legs constrict when you walk and allow the blood to move faster and with more pressure on the tissue.
B) Walking increases your heart rate and blood pressure. Therefore your heart is under less stress.
C) Walking helps your heart adjust to your new arteries and helps build your self-esteem.
D) When you walk, the muscles in your legs contract and pump the blood in your veins back toward your heart, which allows more blood to return to your heart.