A patient having a hemorrhagic stroke means that the patient is suffering from damage to the brain caused by bleeding. Heparin sodium is an anticoagulant. It decreases the clotting factors in the blood to make the blood hard to clot. Administering this to a patient having damage due to bleeding can increase the chances of a second stroke and further damage.
The other drugs including methyldopa is important for relieving blood pressure while the dexamethasone is used to treat the increased cranial pressure. Phenytoin is added to reduce risk of seizures. All of these conditions can happen to the patient which is why the other drugs are justified.
Heparin sodium. Rationale: administering heparin, an anticoagulant, could increase the bleeding associated with hemorrhagic stroke. Therefore, the nurse should question this order to prevent additional hemorrhage in the brain. In a client with hemorrhagic stroke, the physician may use dexamethasone to decrease cerebral edema and pressure; methyldopa, to reduce blood pressure; and phenytoin, to prevent seizures.
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