Week 1 PART 2 Acute Care - Fluids & Electrolytes 2

A patient who had a transverse colectomy for diverticulosis 18 hours ago has nasogastric suction. The patient complains of anxiety and incisional pain. The patient's respiratory rate is 32 breaths/min, and the arterial blood gases (ABGs) indicate respiratory alkalosis. Which action should the nurse take first?

Give the patient the PRN IV morphine sulfate 4 mg. REASON: The patient's respiratory alkalosis is caused by the increased respiratory rate associated with pain and anxiety. The nurse's first action should be to medicate the patient for pain. The health care provider may be notified about the ABGs but is likely to instruct the nurse to medicate for pain. The patient will not be able to take slow, deep breaths when experiencing pain. Checking the nasogastric tube can wait until the patient has been medicated for pain.

The nurse should be alert for which manifestations in a patient receiving a loop diuretic?

Weak, irregular pulse and poor muscle tone

Which action can the registered nurse (RN) who is caring for a critically ill patient with multiple IV lines and medications delegate to a licensed practical/vocational nurse (LPN/LVN)?

Flush a saline lock with normal saline REASON: A LPN/LVN has the education, experience, and scope of practice to flush a saline lock with normal saline. Administration of blood products, adjustment of vasoactive infusion rates, and removal of central catheters in critically ill patients require RN level education and scope of practice.

A patient with renal failure who arrives for outpatient hemodialysis is unresponsive to questions and has decreased deep tendon reflexes. Family members report that the patient has been taking aluminum hydroxide/magnesium hydroxide suspension (Maalox) at home for indigestion. Which action should the nurse take first?

Notify the patient's health care provider. REASON: The health care provider should be notified immediately. The patient has a history and manifestations consistent with hypermagnesemia. The nurse should check the chart for a recent serum magnesium level and make sure that blood is sent to the laboratory for immediate electrolyte and chemistry determinations. Dialysis should correct the high magnesium levels. The patient needs teaching about the risks of taking magnesium-containing antacids. Monitoring of potassium levels also is important for patients with renal failure, but the patient's current symptoms are not consistent with hyperkalemia.

When assessing a pregnant patient with eclampsia who is receiving IV magnesium sulfate, which finding should the nurse report to the health care provider immediately?

The patellar and triceps reflexes are absent REASON: The loss of the deep tendon reflexes indicates that the patient's magnesium level may be reaching toxic levels. Nausea and lethargy are also side effects associated with magnesium elevation and should be reported, but they are not as significant as the loss of deep tendon reflexes. The decreased breath sounds suggest that the patient needs to cough and deep breathe to prevent atelectasis.

Which patient is at greatest risk for developing hypermagnesemia?

42-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus and renal failure

Which action should the nurse take first when a patient complains of acute chest pain and dyspnea soon after insertion of a centrally inserted IV catheter?

Auscultate the patient's breath sounds. REASON: The initial action should be to assess the patient further because the history and symptoms are consistent with several possible complications of central line insertion, including embolism and pneumothorax. The other actions may be appropriate, but further assessment of the patient is needed before notifying the health care provider, offering reassurance, or administration of morphine.

During the admission process, the nurse obtains information about a patient through a physical assessment and diagnostic testing. Based on the data shown in the accompanying figure, which nursing diagnosis is appropriate?

Risk for injury: seizures REASON: The patient's muscle cramps and low serum calcium level indicate that the patient is at risk for seizures, tetany, or both. The other diagnoses are not supported by the data because the skin turgor is good. The lungs are clear, arterial blood gases are normal, and there is no evidence of edema or dehydration that might suggest that the patient is at risk for impaired skin integrity

A patient comes to the clinic complaining of frequent, watery stools for the past 2 days. Which action should the nurse take first?

Check the patient's blood pressure. REASON: Because the patient's history suggests that fluid volume deficit may be a problem, assessment for adequate circulation is the highest priority. The other actions are also appropriate, but are not as essential as determining the patient's perfusion status.

The nurse assesses a patient who has been hospitalized for 2 days. The patient has been receiving normal saline IV at 100 mL/hr, has a nasogastric tube to low suction, and is NPO. Which assessment finding would be a priority for the nurse to report to the health care provider?

Gradually decreasing level of consciousness (LOC) REASON: The patient's history and change in LOC could be indicative of fluid and electrolyte disturbances: extracellular fluid (ECF) excess, ECF deficit, hyponatremia, hypernatremia, hypokalemia, or metabolic alkalosis. Further diagnostic information is needed to determine the cause of the change in LOC and the appropriate interventions. The weight gain, elevated temperature, crackles, and serum sodium level also will be reported but do not indicate a need for rapid action to avoid complications.

A nurse is assessing a newly admitted patient with chronic heart failure who forgot to take prescribed medications and seems confused. The patient has peripheral edema and shortness of breath. Which assessment should the nurse complete first?

Mental status REASON: Increases in extracellular fluid (ECF) can lead to swelling of cells in the central nervous system, initially causing confusion, which may progress to coma or seizures. Although skin turgor, capillary refill, and heart sounds may also be affected by increases in ECF, these are signs that do not have as immediate impact on patient outcomes as cerebral edema

The nurse notes a serum calcium level of 7.9 mg/dL for a patient who has chronic malnutrition. Which action should the nurse take next?

Monitor ionized calcium level REASON: This patient with chronic malnutrition is likely to have a low serum albumin level, which will affect the total serum calcium. A more accurate reflection of calcium balance is the ionized calcium level. Most of the calcium in the blood is bound to protein (primarily albumin). Alterations in serum albumin levels affect the interpretation of total calcium levels. Low albumin levels result in a drop in the total calcium level, although the level of ionized calcium is not affected. The other actions may be needed if the ionized calcium is also decreased.

After receiving change-of-shift report, which patient should the nurse assess first?

Patient with serum magnesium level of 1.1 mEq/L who has tremors and hyperactive deep tendon reflexes REASON: The low magnesium level and neuromuscular irritability suggest that the patient may be at risk for seizures. The other patients have mild electrolyte disturbances or symptoms that require action, but they are not at risk for life-threatening complications.

Following a thyroidectomy, a patient complains of "a tingling feeling around my mouth." Which assessment should the nurse complete?

Presence of the Chvostek's sign REASON: The patient's symptoms indicate possible hypocalcemia, which can occur secondary to parathyroid injury or removal during thyroidectomy. There is no indication of a need to check the potassium level, the thyroid hormone level, or for bleeding.

A patient is admitted to the emergency department with severe fatigue and confusion. Laboratory studies are done. Which laboratory value will require the most immediate action by the nurse?

Serum calcium is 18 mg/dL. REASON: The serum calcium is well above the normal level and puts the patient at risk for cardiac dysrhythmias. The nurse should initiate cardiac monitoring and notify the health care provider. The potassium, oxygen saturation, and pH are also abnormal, and the nurse should notify the health care provider about these values as well, but they are not immediately life threatening.

A patient has a serum calcium level of 7.0 mEq/L. Which assessment finding is most important for the nurse to report to the health care provider?

The patient is experiencing laryngeal stridor REASON: Hypocalcemia can cause laryngeal stridor, which may lead to respiratory arrest. Rapid action is required to correct the patient's calcium level. The other data are also consistent with hypocalcemia, but do not indicate a need for as immediate action as laryngospasm.

A patient is receiving a 3% saline continuous IV infusion for hyponatremia. Which assessment data will require the most rapid response by the nurse?

There are crackles throughout both lung fields REASON: Crackles throughout both lungs suggest that the patient may be experiencing pulmonary edema, a life-threatening adverse effect of hypertonic solutions. The increased pulse rate and blood pressure and the appearance of the urine should also be reported, but they are not as dangerous as the presence of fluid in the alveoli.

It is important for the nurse to assess for which clinical manifestation(s) in a patient who has just undergone a total thyroidectomy (select all that apply)? a. Confusion b. Weight gain c. Depressed reflexes d. Circumoral numbness e. Positive Chvostek's sign

a. Confusion d. Circumoral numbness e. Positive Chvostek's sign

The nursing care for a patient with hyponatremia and fluid volume excess includes a. fluid restriction. b. administration of hypotonic IV fluids. c. administration of a cation-exchange resin. d. placement of an indwelling urinary catheter.

a. fluid restriction.

An older woman was admitted to the medical unit with GI bleeding and fluid volume deficit. Clinical manifestations of this problem are (select all that apply) a. weight loss. b. dry oral mucosa. c. full bounding pulse. d. engorged neck veins. e. decreased central venous pressure.

a. weight loss. b. dry oral mucosa. e. decreased central venous pressure

The nurse expects the long-term treatment of a patient with hyperphosphatemia secondary to renal failure will include

calcium supplements.

The lungs act as an acid-base buffer by

increasing respiratory rate and depth when CO2 levels in the blood are high, reducing acid load.

The nurse is unable to flush a central venous access device and suspects occlusion. The best nursing intervention would be to

instruct the patient to change positions, raise arm, and cough.

The typical fluid replacement for the patient with a fluid volume deficit is

lactated Ringer's.

During administration of a hypertonic IV solution, the mechanism involved in equalizing the fluid concentration between ECF and the cells is

osmosis.

A patient has the following arterial blood gas results: pH 7.52, PaCO2 30 mm Hg, HCO3− 24 mEq/L. The nurse determines that these results indicate

respiratory alkalosis.

During the postoperative care of a 76-year-old patient, the nurse monitors the patient's intake and output carefully, knowing that the patient is at risk for fluid and electrolyte imbalances primarily because

small losses of fluid are significant because body fluids account for 45% to 50% of body weight in older adults.