A nurse is assessing a child with coarctation of the aorta. The nurse expects to find weaker pulses in the lower extremities compared to the upper extremities.

Coarctation of the aorta is a congenital heart defect characterized by a narrowing of the aortic lumen, typically distal to the left subclavian artery. This narrowing creates an obstruction to blood flow, resulting in increased proximal pressure (upper extremities, head) and decreased distal pressure (lower extremities). Consequently, pulses and blood pressure are stronger in the arms than in the legs due to the mechanical obstruction limiting adequate systemic perfusion beyond the narrowed segment. Choice False rationale: The assertion is inaccurate because coarctation, a stricture of the aorta, significantly impedes systemic blood flow to the distal body. The pressure gradient created across the narrowing causes the blood pressure and pulse amplitude to be significantly higher and stronger in the vessels proximal to the coarctation (upper body) and notably diminished in the vessels distal to the coarctation (lower body).