Cardiovascular Alterations

The examination conducted was not sufficient to rule out the possibility of the risk for premature cardiac death. With the second sound of the murmur or S2 systolic murmur, there was a need for further examination (Renchen, 2014). In most cases, murmurs in children are studied on several components. The position in this case was at the apex of the heart (Huether & McCance, 2008). It was a systolic murmur and this means that it took place when the heart was working. In most events, grade II/VI murmurs are questionable and require further analysis.

Murmurs that occur at the apex of the heart could be related to pathology, in the ventricles, or mitral or they could be related to truscupid valvular issues (Huether & McCance, 2008). The nature of the murmur was not documented. The murmur was also only analyzed from one sitting position. If the nurse had analyzed the murmur from a standing position, the murmur would have been more easily classified as either pathologic or innocent. In this instance, the information was not sufficient to classify the murmur as innocent. There was information that favored both situations.

The family history did not take in any situations of premature cardiac death. This progressed to the ruling on pathology weak. Nevertheless, the ruling information obtained from the placement of the murmur gave the possibility of pathology some basis (Macdonald, 1990; Renchen, 2014). In this scenario, I would have required the patient to undergo further monitoring to rule out cases of pathology. Further evaluation was also required to rule out the possibility of pathology in the case of this patient.

I would have recommended that the patient be put on symptomatic VPCs immediately, which comprise patient reassurance and education (Huether & McCance, 2008). The patient should also have been put on activity restriction. Competitive activity would have been ruled out as it may be too much for the child. In its stead, the patient should have been taken to be involved exclusively in light drills. Moreover, the patient should have been taken to avoid aggravating factors such as caffeinated products and stress.

Patient behavior

Certain behaviors may have agitated the child’s health. Maintaining a healthy diet and a healthy activity level would have reduced the risk of heart disease. It is important that people maintain a healthy diet to sustain a reasonable weight. Specifically, patients should avoid high calorie foods like energy drinks and junk foods. Moreover, they should ensure that their diet is free of cholesterol as it may agitate the risk of heart disease.

It is also probable that the patient did not have the required amount of exercise. One is required to have a minimum of 30 minutes of intensive exercise per day on most days of the week. A passive lifestyle is likely to promote an unhealthy weight, which could lay a foundation for chronic diseases. Overall, both unhealthy diet and passivity promote unhealthy weight (Macdonald, 1990). In the long term, unhealthy weight transforms to obesity, which further promotes passivity and disease.

The patient had heart disease, but it was misdiagnosed. Due to the few symptoms of the disease, such patients need not start medication immediately. Alternatively, patients require commencing living in a salubrious life style. A healthy lifestyle requires being one that promotes a healthy weight and discourages obesity. Exercise is a controversial issue in the case of the risk of premature cardiac death. Also much of it could touch off an attempt that could still be fatal as in the example scenario. However, minimal activity promotes a healthy weight, which is important for promoting a healthy diet. Upholding a healthy weight and avoiding obesity are paramount in the control of heart disease.

References

Huether, S., & McCance, K. (2008). Understanding pathophysiology. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby/Elsevier.

MACDONALD, M. (1990). How Do You Meet the Needs of Pediatric Patients. Nursing, 20(7), 54-55. doi:10.1097/00152193-199007000-00020

Renchen, B. (2014). Innocent Murmurs and Pediatric Patients: When Should the Primary Care Provider Refer?. Journal Of Pediatric Nursing, 29(6), 700-702. doi:10.1016/j.pedn.2014.06.007