Administration of which following should the nurse anticipate for a patient with non-STEMI?

• A. Morphine 2mg IV
• B. Atropine
• C. Dopamine
• D. Heparin only

Answer: (A)

Pain relief is a key immediate goal in non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Morphine given IV provides rapid relief of chest pain from ischemia and blunts the accompanying sympathetic surge. That reduction in sympathetic tone lowers heart rate and blood pressure, which decreases myocardial oxygen demand and helps alleviate ischemia. It also causes venodilation, which reduces preload and myocardial workload. For these reasons, morphine is the most appropriate option to anticipate in NSTEMI management.

Atropine is used mainly for symptomatic bradycardia, not for ischemia management. Dopamine can be used for hypotension or shock, but it does not address pain or the ischemic process as a standard initial therapy. Heparin is important as anticoagulation in NSTEMI, but it is not the sole or primary treatment you would anticipate administering by itself.