What is primary medical diagnosis?

[AniraP]

Hi all,

I just started nursing school and we are supposed to write about the pathophysiology of our patient's primary diagnosis. My patient is a 84 year old lady. She has so many medical diagnoses and I can't figure out which one is her primary diagnosis ( she has muscle weakness, vascular dimentia, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, altered mental status, ....). Her reason for admission to the long term care facility is, cardiac pacemaker. Is that the primary diagnosis? is the primary diagnosis, the diagnosis that the LTC physician identified at the time of her first admission?

please someone help me at least direct me to a place I can find it. I tried to google it but can't really find a good answer.

Thank you in advance.

[Okami_CCRN, BSN, RN]

primary medical diagnosis is usually defined at the condition motivating hospitalization.

[ImThatGuy, BSN, RN]

Use the cardiac issues. It's the most detrimental overall to your patient anyway. Biologically, that problem is her greatest and most threatening to life.