The emergency management of a client with chest pain focuses on which of the following priority goals?

• A. Stabilizing the airway
• B. Providing adequate analgesic to relieve pain
• C. Initiating CPR
• D. Applying a splint

Answer: (B)

Relieving chest pain by providing adequate analgesia directly reduces the stress on the heart. Pain triggers a sympathetic response that increases heart rate, blood pressure, and myocardial oxygen demand, which can worsen ischemia. By easing the pain, you lower this strain, stabilize the patient’s comfort, and enable more accurate assessment and timely additional treatment.

The other actions aren’t the immediate focus in this scenario: airway stabilization is critical only if there’s compromised breathing or airway obstruction; CPR is for cardiac arrest with no pulse; splinting is for trauma injuries such as fractures. While those may be important in specific contexts, analgesia best addresses the current distress from chest pain and supports subsequent care.