Exhibits The client was given oxygen, sublingual nitroglycerin, and aspirin. After one dose of nitroglycerin, the client's pain decreased to a reported 2 on a 0 to 10 scale with squeezing pain. The client was admitted for observation and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to be completed later within the evening. The client asks the nurse to explain why a PCI is being completed. If healthcare providers see a narrowed heart vessel while performing a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), they may perform a balloon angioplasty to compress the plaque against the vessel wall and hold it there with a stent, which of the following will be lessened as a result.

Rationale for Correct Choices: • Pain: Narrowed or blocked coronary arteries reduce blood flow to the myocardium, causing ischemic chest pain (angina). Balloon angioplasty with stent placement restores perfusion, alleviating ischemic pain by improving oxygen delivery to heart muscle. • Dysrhythmias: Myocardial ischemia increases the risk of cardiac arrhythmias due to impaired electrical conduction and irritability of myocardial cells. Reopening the narrowed vessel reduces ischemia and stabilizes electrical activity, lowering the risk of dysrhythmias. Rationale for Incorrect Choices: • Heart blocks: While ischemia can occasionally cause conduction delays, heart blocks are not the primary issue addressed by PCI. PCI primarily restores perfusion and reduces ischemic complications rather than directly correcting conduction system abnormalities. • Vasospasms: Vasospasms involve temporary constriction of coronary arteries, which is usually treated with medications like nitrates or calcium channel blockers, not with PCI. PCI targets structural obstruction from plaque, not transient vasospasm.