What is the best way to manage a 64-year-old patient with shortness of breath and pedal edema?

Managing a 64-year-old patient experiencing shortness of breath and pedal edema requires careful attention to their condition, especially since these symptoms may indicate heart failure or other serious cardiac issues. Transporting the patient sitting up is beneficial because it can help alleviate the feeling of breathlessness by decreasing the pressure on the diaphragm and allowing for better lung expansion.

Obtaining baseline vital signs is essential to assess the patient's current status and establish a point for comparison during transport and later care. This gives healthcare providers critical information about the patient’s heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation.

Assisting with nitroglycerin is appropriate in cases of suspected cardiac events because it can help relieve chest pain by dilating blood vessels, which may improve blood flow to the heart and reduce workload. However, it's crucial to ensure the patient is not hypotensive before administering nitroglycerin, so having that baseline vitals data is beneficial for safe administration.

The other options do not adequately address the immediate needs of the patient. Simply monitoring the patient for changes or providing oxygen without further interventions may not provide timely relief or address potential underlying conditions. Transporting the patient lying flat is generally not recommended for those with respiratory distress as it may exacerbate their symptoms. Each