What finding should a nurse report for a client 30 minutes post-arterial thrombectomy?

Reporting chest pain 30 minutes post-arterial thrombectomy is crucial as it may indicate complications such as myocardial ischemia or a thrombus that has formed elsewhere, which could compromise the circulation to other areas of the body. Following a thrombectomy, monitoring for changes in the client’s status is essential; the presence of chest pain may signal a need for immediate intervention or further assessment to prevent serious complications.

Several changes can occur after an arterial thrombectomy, and while other findings like increased blood pressure, coolness in extremities, or fever may also warrant attention, they do not carry the same immediate risk associated with acute coronary events as chest pain. Increased blood pressure could be a normal response to pain or anxiety and requires monitoring rather than immediate reporting. Coolness in extremities can be indicative of impaired circulation, but it would need to be assessed in the context of the overall clinical picture. Fever is often a sign of infection or inflammation but is less urgent than sudden onset chest pain in this scenario. Thus, chest pain stands out as a potentially critical finding that requires immediate reporting and intervention.