DVT Patient With Sudden Chest Pain and Dyspnea

Cardiac · Question from the ATI RN Medical-Surgical 2023 Proctored Exam study set

Correct answer: C. Notify the Rapid Response Team

Why this is the answer

Sudden dyspnea and chest pain in a known DVT patient are classic signs the clot has migrated to become a pulmonary embolism — a life-threatening emergency that needs an urgent, provider-led response immediately. Elevating the legs (A) does nothing for a PE and, in some clot situations, could risk dislodging additional material. Administering aspirin (B) isn't the nurse's independent priority action in a suspected life-threatening PE — this requires escalation and likely anticoagulation ordered by a provider, not a bedside decision to give aspirin. Starting an IV (D) may become part of the response but isn't the single most urgent action when a patient may be acutely decompensating.

The bigger concept

Whenever a patient with a known clot risk factor (like DVT) suddenly develops respiratory symptoms, the nurse should think PE first and escalate immediately — recognizing the connection between the two conditions is one of the most heavily tested patterns in medical-surgical nursing.

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