Fluid and electrolytes prep u

Which solution is hypotonic?

0.45% NaCl Half-strength saline is hypotonic. Lactated Ringer solution and normal saline (0.9% NaCl) are isotonic. A 5% NaCl solution is hypertonic.

A client weighing 160.2 pounds (72.7 kg), who has been diagnosed with hypovolemia, is weighed every day. The health care provider asked to be notified if the client loses 1,000 mL of fluid in 24 hours. What weight would be consistent with this amount of fluid loss?

158.0 lbs (71.7 kg) A loss of 0.5 kg, or 1.1 lb, represents a fluid loss of about 500 mL. Therefore, a loss of 1,000 mL would be equivalent to the loss of 2.2 lbs (1 kg), bringing the client's weight to 158.0 lbs (71.7 kg).

What foods can the nurse recommend for the patient with hyperkalemia?

Apples and berries Sources of potassium include fruit juices and bananas, melon, citrus fruits, fresh and frozen vegetables, lean meats, milk, and whole grains

A client presents with severe diarrhea and a history of chronic renal failure to the emergency department. Arterial blood gas results are as follows: pH 7.30 PaO2 97 PaCO2 37 HCO3 18

Clammy skin, blood pressure 86/46, headache Metabolic acidosis, a common clinical disturbance, is characterized by decreased pH and plasma bicarbonate concentration. Common causes of metabolic acidosis include diarrhea, chronic renal failure, use of diuretics, intestinal fistulas, and ureterostomies. The client will experience the following signs and symptoms: headache, confusion, increased respiratory rate, nausea, vomiting, cold and clammy skin, and decreased blood pressure.

The nurse is caring for a client in heart failure with signs of hypervolemia. Which vital sign is indicative of the disease process?

Elevated blood pressure Indicative of hypervolemia is a bounding pulse and elevated blood pressure due to the excess volume in the system. Respirations are not typically affected unless there is fluid accumulation in the lungs. Temperature is not generally affected.

Which laboratory result does the nurse identify as a direct result of the client's hypovolemic status with hemoconcentration?

Elevated hematocrit level When hemoconcentration occurs due to a hypovolemic state, a high ratio of blood components in relation to watery plasma occurs, thus causing an elevated hematocrit level. A high white blood cell count and urine specific gravity is also noted. Other causes of an abnormal potassium level may be present.

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

Oral intake is controlled by the thirst center, located in which of the following cerebral areas?

Hypothalamus

With which condition should the nurse expect that a decrease in serum osmolality will occur?

Kidney failure

With which condition should the nurse expect that a decrease in serum osmolality will occur?

Kidney failure Failure of the kidneys results in multiple fluid and electrolyte abnormalities including fluid volume overload. If renal function is so severely impaired that pharmacologic agents cannot act efficiently, other modalities are considered to remove sodium and fluid from the body.

A client hospitalized for treatment of a pulmonary embolism develops respiratory alkalosis. Which clinical findings commonly accompany respiratory alkalosis?

Light-headedness or paresthesia

The nurse is caring for a client undergoing alcohol withdrawal. Which serum laboratory value should the nurse monitor most closely?

Magnesium Chronic alcohol abuse is a major cause of symptomatic hypomagnesemia in the United States. The serum magnesium concentration should be measured at least every 2 or 3 days in clients undergoing alcohol withdrawal. The serum magnesium concentration may be normal at admission but may decrease as a result of metabolic changes, such as the intracellular shift of magnesium associated with intravenous glucose administration.

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

Which electrolyte is a major cation in body fluid?

Potassium Potassium is a major cation that affects cardiac muscle functioning. Chloride, bicarbonate, and phosphate are anions.

A client is being treated in the ICU 24 hours after having a radical neck dissection completed. The client's serum calcium concentration is 7.6 mg/dL (1.9 mmol/L). Which physical examination finding is consistent with this electrolyte imbalance?

Presence of Trousseau sign

A nurse is caring for a client with acute renal failure and hypernatremia. In this case, which action can be delegated to the nursing assistant?

Provide oral care every 2-3 hours. Providing oral care for the client every 2-3 hours is within the scope of practice of a nursing assistant. The other actions should be completed by the registered nurse.

Which of the following arterial blood gas results would be consistent with metabolic alkalosis?

Serum bicarbonate of 28 mEq/L Evaluation of arterial blood gases reveals a pH greater than 7.45 and a serum bicarbonate concentration greater than 26 mEq/L.

A client is taking spironolactone to control hypertension. The client's serum potassium level is 6 mEq/L. What is the nurse's priority during assessment?

electrocardiogram (ECG) results Although changes in all these findings are seen in hyperkalemia, ECG results should take priority because changes can indicate potentially lethal arrhythmias such as ventricular fibrillation. It wouldn't be appropriate to assess the client's neuromuscular function, bowel sounds, or respiratory rate for effects of hyperkalemia.

Early signs of hypervolemia include

increased breathing effort and weight gain.

The weight of a client with congestive heart failure is monitored daily and entered into the medical record. In a 24-hour period, the client's weight increased by 2 lb. How much fluid is this client retaining?

1 L A 2-lb weight gain in 24 hours indicates that the client is retaining 1L of fluid.

A client has chronic hyponatremia, which requires weekly laboratory monitoring to prevent the client lapsing into convulsions or a coma. What is the level of serum sodium at which a client can experience these side effects?

114 mEq/L Hyponatremia occurs when the serum sodium level dips below 135 mEq/L. When serum sodium levels fall below 115mEq/L, mental confusion, muscular weakness, anorexia, restlessness, elevated body temperature, tachycardia, nausea, vomiting, personality changes, convulsions, or coma can occur. A serum sodium level of 148 mEq/L would indicate hypernatremia. Normal serum concentration levels range from 135 to 145 mEq/L.

A patient is admitted with severe vomiting for 24 hours as well as weakness and "feeling exhausted." The nurse observes flat T waves and ST-segment depression on the electrocardiogram. Which potassium level does the nurse observe when the laboratory studies are complete?

2.5 mEq Symptoms of hypokalemia (<3.0 mEq/L) include fatigue, anorexia, nausea and vomiting, muscle weakness, polyuria, decreased bowel motility, ventricular asystole or fibrillation, paresthesias, leg cramps, hypotension, ileus, abdominal distention, and hypoactive reflexes. Electrocardiogram findings associated with hypokalemia include flattened T waves, prominent U waves, ST depression, and prolonged PR interval.

A patient's serum sodium concentration is within the normal range. What should the nurse estimate the serum osmolality to be?

275-300 mOsm/kg In healthy adults, normal serum osmolality is 270 to 300 mOsm/kg (Crawford & Harris, 2011c).

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 or using the formula: Na × 2 = glucose/18 + BUN/3. Therefore, the nurse could estimate a serum osmolality of 280 mOsm/kg by doubling the serum sodium value of 140 mEq/L.

Which findings indicate that a client has developed water intoxication secondary to treatment for diabetes insipidus?

Confusion and seizures Classic signs of water intoxication include confusion and seizures, both of which are caused by cerebral edema. Weight gain will also occur. Sunken eyeballs, thirst, and increased BUN levels indicate fluid volume deficit. Spasticity, flaccidity, and tetany are unrelated to water intoxication.

The nurse is assessing a client for local complications of intravenous therapy. Which are local complications? Select all that apply.

Extravasation Infection Hematoma Phlebitis Local complications of intravenous therapy include infiltration and extravasation, phlebitis, thrombophlebitis, hematoma, and clotting of the needle. Infections can be local or systemic. Systemic complications occur less frequently but are usually more serious than local complications and include circulatory overload, air embolism, and febrile reaction.

A 64-year-old client is brought in to the clinic with thirsty, dry, sticky mucous membranes, decreased urine output, fever, a rough tongue, and lethargy. Serum sodium level is above 145 mEq/L. Should the nurse start salt tablets when caring for this client?

No, sodium intake should be restricted. The symptoms and the high level of serum sodium suggest hypernatremia, (excess of sodium). It is necessary to restrict sodium intake. Salt tablets and sodium chloride IV can only worsen this condition but may be required in hyponatremia (sodium deficit). Hypotonic solution IV may be a part of the treatment but not along with the salt tablets.

A nurse is caring for a client admitted with a diagnosis of exacerbation of myasthenia gravis. Upon assessment of the client, the nurse notes the client has severely depressed respirations. The nurse would expect to identify which acid-base disturbance?

Respiratory acidosis Respiratory acidosis is always from inadequate excretion of CO2 with inadequate ventilation, resulting in elevated plasma CO2 concentrations. Respiratory acidosis can occur in diseases that impair respiratory muscles such as myasthenia gravis.

Treatment of FVE involves dietary restriction of sodium. Which of the following food choices would be part of a low-sodium diet, mild restriction (2 to 3 g/day)?

Three ounces of light or dark meat chicken, 1 cup of spaghetti and a garden salad Ham (1,400 mg Na for 3 oz) and bacon (155 mg Na/slice) are high in sodium as is tomato juice (660 mg Na/¾ cup) and low fat cottage cheese (918 mg Na/cup). Packaged meals are high in sodium.

A nurse is reviewing a report of a client's routine urinalysis. Which value requires further investigation?

Urine pH of 3.0

Which is considered an isotonic solution?

Which is considered an isotonic solution? An isotonic solution is 0.9% normal saline (NaCl). Dextran in normal saline is a colloid solution, 0.45% normal saline is a hypotonic solution, and 3% NaCl is a hypertonic solution.

A nurse is providing client teaching about the body's plasma pH and the client asks the nurse what is the major chemical regulator of plasma pH. What is the best response by the nurse?

bicarbonate-carbonic acid buffer system The major chemical regulator of plasma pH is the bicarbonate-carbonic acid buffer system. The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system regulates blood pressure. The sodium-potassium pump regulate homeostasis. The ADH-ANP buffer system regulates water balance in the body.

A client with severe hypervolemia is prescribed a loop diuretic and the nurse is concerned with the client experiencing significant sodium and potassium losses. What drug was most likely prescribed?

furosemide Furosemide is the only loop diuretic choice. Hydrochlorothiazide and metolazone are thiazide diuretics that block sodium reabsorption. Spironolactone is a potassium-sparing diuretic that prevents sodium absorption.

Clients diagnosed with hypervolemia should avoid sweet or dry food because it

increases the client's desire to consume fluid. The management goal in hypervolemia is to reduce fluid volume. For this reason, fluid is rationed and the client is advised to take a limited amount of fluid when thirsty. Sweet or dry food can increase the client's desire to consume fluid. Sweet or dry food does not obstruct water elimination or cause dehydration. Weight regulation is not part of hypervolemia management except to the extent it is achieved on account of fluid reduction.

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. The client's laboratory findings indicate hypercalcemia. 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. Malignant tumors can produce hypercalcemia through a variety of mechanisms. The client's calcium level is elevated; there is no indication that the client's diet is lacking in calcium-rich food products. Hyperaldosteronism is not associated with a calcium imbalance. Alcohol abuse is associated with hypocalcemia.

A client is diagnosed with hypocalcemia and the nurse is teaching the client about symptoms. What symptom would the nurse include in the teaching?

tingling sensation in the fingers Tingling or numbness in the fingers is a symptom of hypocalcemia. Flank pain, polyuria, and hypertension are symptoms of hypercalcemia.

The calcium concentration in the blood is regulated by which mechanism?

parathyroid hormone (PTH) The serum calcium concentration is controlled by PTH and calcitonin. The thyroid hormone, adrenal gland, or androgens do not regulate the calcium concentration in the blood.

A nurse is monitoring a client being evaluated who has a potassium level of 7 mEq/L (mmol/L). Which electrocardiogram changes will the client display?

peaked T waves

A client admitted with acute anxiety has the following arterial blood gas (ABG) values: pH, 7.55; partial pressure of arterial oxygen (PaO2), 90 mm Hg; partial pressure of arterial carbon dioxide (PaCO2), 27 mm Hg; and bicarbonate (HCO3-), 24 mEq/L. Based on these values, the nurse suspects:

respiratory alkalosis.