A Nurse on the Cardiac Unit Is Providing Care to a 67-Year-Old

Multiple Choice

A nurse on the cardiac unit is providing care to a 67-year-old patient who has recently been started on BiDil (hydralazine/isosorbide dinitrate) 1 tablet orally three times daily. The patient informs the nurse that he has a headache and rates his headache pain as 4 on a scale of 1-10. Which of the following actions by the nurse is best?

A) Hold all future doses of BiDil and notify the pharmacy that the patient is allergic to the medication.
B) Determine the patient's oxygen saturation and call the physician.
C) Inform the patient this is a common side effect and provide Tylenol (acetaminophen) prn as ordered.
D) Provide earphones and teach the patient to use distraction techniques.