For a patient diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus, which assessment finding should the nurse monitor?

In a patient diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), monitoring for a pericardial friction rub is particularly important due to the potential for cardiac involvement, including pericarditis, which is an inflammation of the pericardial sac surrounding the heart. This condition can occur in lupus patients due to the autoimmune process affecting multiple organ systems, including the cardiovascular system.

A pericardial friction rub is characterized by a specific sound heard during heart auscultation, reflecting the friction of the inflamed pericardial layers. It's crucial for nurses to be vigilant about this finding as it can indicate significant and potentially serious complications, warranting prompt medical intervention.

While elevated blood pressure, tachycardia, and hemoptysis could also be relevant findings, they are less specific to the implications of systemic lupus erythematosus and the complications associated with the disease. For instance, elevated blood pressure may be related to other factors like medication or renal involvement, tachycardia can occur in various conditions unrelated to lupus, and hemoptysis may indicate pulmonary involvement that is more unusual in the absence of clear respiratory symptoms or infection. Hence, focusing on the pericardial friction rub directly addresses the