PrepU Fluid and Electrolytes: Balance and Disturbance
The nurse is caring for a client diagnosed with bulimia. The client is being treated for a serum potassium concentration of 2.9 mEq/L (2.9 mmol/L). Which statement made by the client indicates the need for further teaching?
"I can use laxatives and enemas but only once a week."
A client is to receive hypotonic IV solution in order to provide free water replacement. Which solution does the nurse anticipate administering?
0.45% NaCl Hypotonic solutions are used to replace cellular fluid because it is hypotonic compared with plasma. Another is to provide free water to excrete body wastes. At times, hypotonic sodium solutions are used to treat hypernatremia and other hyperosmolar conditions
A client experiencing a severe anxiety attack and hyperventilating presents to the emergency department. The nurse would expect the client's pH value to be
7.50 Respiratory alkalosis is always caused by hyperventilation, which causes excessive "blowing off" of CO2 and, hence, a decrease in the plasma carbonic acid concentration
A nurse correctly identifies a urine specimen with a pH of 4.3 as being which type of solution?
Acidic Normal urine pH is 4.5 to 8.0
Which is an insensible mechanism of fluid loss?
Breathing Loss of fluid from sweat or diaphoresis is referred to as insensible loss because it is unnoticeable and immeasurable.
A patient complains of tingling in the fingers as well as feeling depressed. The nurse assesses positive Trousseau's and Chvostek's signs. Which decreased laboratory results does the nurse observe when the patient's laboratory work has returned?
Calcium
Air embolism is a potential complication of IV therapy. The nurse should be alert to which clinical manifestation associated with air embolism?
Chest pain
Which electrolyte is a major anion in body fluid?
Chloride
Which findings indicate that a client has developed water intoxication secondary to treatment for diabetes insipidus?
Confusion and seizures
You are caring for a 72-year-old client who has been admitted to your unit for a fluid volume imbalance. You know which of the following is the most common fluid imbalance in older adults?
Dehydration Because of reduced thirst sensation that often accompanies aging, older adults tend to drink less water. Use of diuretic medications, laxatives, or enemas may also deplete fluid volume in older adults.
Which of the following is a clinical manifestation of fluid volume excess (FVE)?
Distended neck veins Crackles in the lung fields Shortness of breath
The physician has prescribed 0.9% sodium chloride IV for a hospitalized client in metabolic alkalosis. Which nursing actions are required to manage this client?
Document presenting signs and symptoms. Compare ABG findings with previous results. Maintain intake and output records.
Before seeing a newly assigned client with respiratory alkalosis, a nurse quickly reviews the client's medical history. Which condition is a predisposing factor for respiratory alkalosis?
Extreme anxiety
A physician orders regular insulin 10 units I.V. along with 50 ml of dextrose 50% for a client with acute renal failure. What electrolyte imbalance is this client most likely experiencing?
Hyperkalemia Administering regular insulin I.V. concomitantly with 50 ml of dextrose 50% helps shift potassium from the extracellular fluid into the cell, which normalizes serum potassium levels in the client with hyperkalemia
An elderly client takes 40 mg of Lasix twice a day. Which electrolyte imbalance is the most serious adverse effect of diuretic use?
Hypokalemia
Clients diagnosed with hypervolemia should avoid sweet or dry food because it
Increases the client's desire to consume fluid
The nurse is assessing residents at a summer picnic at the nursing facility. The nurse expresses concern due to the high heat and humidity of the day. Although the facility is offering the residents plenty of fluids for fluid maintenance, the nurse is most concerned about which?
Insensible fluid loss Due to the high heat and humidity, geriatric clients are at a high risk for insensible fluid loss through perspiration and vapor in the exhaled air. These losses are noted as unnoticeable and unmeasurable
A client with a history of anxiety experiences respiratory alkalosis. The nurse measures a respiratory rate of 46 breaths/minute, a heart rate of 110 beats/minute, a blood pressure of 162/90 mm Hg, and a temperature of 98.6° F (37° C). To help correct respiratory alkalosis, the nurse should:
Instruct the client to breathe into a paper bag. This increases arterial carbon dioxide tension and ease anxiety (which may exacerbate the alkalosis).
A client has the following arterial blood gas (ABG) values: pH, 7.12; partial pressure of arterial carbon dioxide (PaCO2), 40 mm Hg; and bicarbonate (HCO3-), 15 mEq/L. These ABG values suggest which disorder?
Metabolic acidosis
A client in the emergency department reports that he has been vomiting excessively for the past 2 days. His arterial blood gas analysis shows a pH of 7.50, partial pressure of arterial carbon dioxide (PaCO2) of 43 mm Hg, partial pressure of arterial oxygen (PaO2) of 75 mm Hg, and bicarbonate (HCO3-) of 42 mEq/L. Based on these findings, the nurse documents that the client is experiencing which type of acid-base imbalance?
Metabolic acidosis
The nurse is caring for a patient with diabetes type I who is having severe vomiting and diarrhea. What condition that exhibits blood values with a low pH and a low plasma bicarbonate concentration should the nurse assess for?
Metabolic acidosis
A client has been diagnosed with an intestinal obstruction and has a nasogastric tube set to low continuous suction. Which acid-base disturbance is this client at risk for developing?
Metabolic alkalosis
The nurse on a surgical unit is caring for a client recovering from recent surgery with the placement of a nasogastric tube to low continuous suction Which acid-base imbalance is most likely to occur?
Metabolic alkalosis Results in increased plasma pH because of an accumulated base bicarbonate or decreased hydrogen ion concentration. Factors that increase base bicarbonate include excessive oral or parenteral use of bicarbonate-containing drugs, a rapid decrease in extracellular fluid volume and loss of hydrogen and chloride ions as with gastric suctioning.
A priority nursing intervention for a client with hypervolemia involves which of the following?
Monitoring respiratory status for signs and symptoms of pulmonary complications.
Which is a correct route of administration for potassium?
Oral
The calcium concentration in the blood is regulated by which mechanism?
Parathyroid hormone (PTH)
A client with a suspected overdose of an unknown drug is admitted to the emergency department. Arterial blood gas values indicate respiratory acidosis. What should the nurse do first?
Prepare to assist with ventilation.
A nurse reviews the arterial blood gas (ABG) values of a client admitted with pneumonia: pH, 7.51; PaCO2, 28 mm Hg; PaO2, 70 mm Hg; and HCO3--, 24 mEq/L. What do these values indicate?
Respiratory alkalosis
Which of the following arterial blood gas results would be consistent with metabolic alkalosis?
Serum bicarbonate of 28 mEq/L
To compensate for decreased fluid volume (hypovolemia), the nurse can anticipate which response by the body?
Tachycardia Fluid volume deficit, or hypovolemia, occurs when the loss of extracellular fluid exceeds the intake of fluid. Clinical signs include oliguia, rapid heart rate, vasoconstriction, cool and clammy skin, and muscle weakness.
A nurse is conducting an initial assessment on a client with possible tuberculosis. Which assessment finding indicates a risk factor for tuberculosis?
The client had a liver transplant 2 years ago. A history of immunocompromised status, such as that which occurs with liver transplantation, places the client at a higher risk for contracting tuberculosis
Early signs of hypervolemia include
increased breathing effort and weight gain.
To confirm an acid-base imbalance, it is necessary to assess which findings from a client's arterial blood gas (ABG) results?
pH PaCO2 HCO3
The nurse is analyzing the arterial blood gas (ABG) results of a client diagnosed with severe pneumonia. Which of the following ABG results indicates respiratory acidosis?
pH: 7.20, PaCO2: 65 mm Hg, HCO3-: 26 mEq/L Respiratory acidosis is a clinical disorder in which the pH is less than 7.35 and the PaCO2 is greater than 42 mm Hg and a compensatory increase in the plasma HCO3- occurs
A client with cancer is being treated on the oncology unit for bilateral breast cancer. The client is undergoing chemotherapy. The nurse notes the client's serum calcium concentration is 12.3 mg/dL (3.08 mmol/L). Given this laboratory finding, the nurse should suspect that the
malignancy is causing the electrolyte imbalance. Hypercalcemia is defined as a calcium concentration >10.2 mg/dL (>2.6 mmol/L).The most common causes of hypercalcemia are malignancies and hyperparathyroidism
Which set of arterial blood gas (ABG) results requires further investigation?
pH 7.49, PaCO2 30 mm Hg, PaO2 89 mm Hg, and HCO3- 18 mEq/L Indicates respiratory alkalosis. The pH level is increased, and the HCO3- and PaCO2 levels are decreased. Normal values are pH 7.35 to 7.45; PaCO2 35 to 45 mm Hg; HCO3- 22 to 26 mEq/L.
Which serum sodium concentration might convulsions or coma occur?
135 mEq/L (135 mmol/L) When the level dips below 135 mEq/L (135 mmol/L), hyponatremia occurs. Manifestations of hyponatremia include mental confusion, muscular weakness, anorexia, restlessness, elevated body temperature, tachycardia, nausea, vomiting, and personality changes
A client was admitted to the unit with a diagnosis of hypovolemia. When it is time to complete discharge teaching, which of the following will the nurse teach the client and family?
Drink at least eight glasses of fluid each day. Drink water as an inexpensive way to meet fluid needs. Respond to thirst
A nurse is reviewing a report of a client's routine urinalysis. Which value requires further investigation?
Urine pH of 3.0 Normal urine pH is 4.5 to 8; therefore, a urine pH of 3.0 is abnormal and requires further investigation. Urine specific gravity normally ranges from 1.010 to 1.025
Which of the following may be the first sign of respiratory acidosis in anesthetized patients?
Ventricular fibrillation
A nurse can estimate serum osmolality at the bedside by using a formula. A patient who has a serum sodium level of 140 mEq/L would have a serum osmolality of:
280 mOsm/kg. Serum osmolality can be estimated by doubling the serum sodium
The nurse is caring for a client in the intensive care unit (ICU) following a near-drowning event in saltwater. The client is restless, lethargic, and demonstrating tremors. Additional assessment findings include swollen and dry tongue, flushed skin, and peripheral edema. The nurse anticipates that the client's serum sodium value would be
155 mEq/L (155 mmol/L)
A client weighing 160 pounds diagnosed with hypovolemia, is weighed every day. The health care provider asked to be notified if the patient loses 1,000 mL of fluid in 24 hours. Choose the weight that would be consistent with this amount of fluid loss.
158 lbs A loss of 0.5 kg or 1 lb represents a fluid loss of about 500 mL. Therefore, a loss of 1,000 mL would be equivalent to the loss of 2 lbs (160 - 2 = 158 lbs)
A 54-year-old male patient is admitted to the hospital with a case of severe dehydration. The nurse reviews the patient's laboratory results. Which of the following results are consistent with the diagnosis?
Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) of 23 mg/dL Serum osmolality of 310 mOsm/kg Serum sodium of 148 mEq/L Urine specific gravity of 1.03 Severe dehydration is associated with an increased BUN (N = 10 to 20 mg/dL), serum osmolality (N = 275 to 300 mOsm/kg), serum sodium (N = 135 to 145 mEq/L) and urine specific gravity (N = 1.01 to 1.025
A client hospitalized for treatment of a pulmonary embolism develops respiratory alkalosis. Which clinical findings commonly accompany respiratory alkalosis?
Light-headedness or paresthesia
