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A child is admitted to the hospital with a suspected diagnosis of bacterial endocarditis. The child has been experiencing fever, malaise, anorexia, and a headache. Which diagnostic study will confirm the diagnosis?
- A. A blood culture
- B. A sedimentation rate
- C. A white blood cell count
- D. An electrocardiogram (ECG)
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The diagnosis of bacterial endocarditis is primarily established on the basis of a positive blood culture of the organisms and the visualization of vegetation on echocardiographic studies. Other laboratory tests that may help confirm the diagnosis are an elevated sedimentation rate and the C-reactive protein level. An ECG is not usually helpful for the diagnosis of bacterial endocarditis.
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A child diagnosed with seizures is being treated with carbamazepine. The nurse reviews the laboratory report for the results of the drug plasma level and determines that the plasma level is in a therapeutic range if which is noted?
- A. 1 mcg/mL (4.2 mcmol/L)
- B. 10 mcg/mL (42.3 mcmol/L)
- C. 18 mcg/mL (76.1 mcmol/L)
- D. 20 mcg/mL (84.6 mcmol/L)
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: When carbamazepine is administered, plasma levels of the medication need to be monitored periodically to check for the child's absorption of the medication. The amount of the medication prescribed is based on the results of this laboratory test. The therapeutic plasma level of carbamazepine is 5 to 12 mcg/mL (21.16 to 50.80 mcmol/L). Option 1 indicates a low level that possibly necessitates an increased medication dose. Options 3 and 4 identify elevated levels that indicate the need to decrease the medication dose.
At the last vaginal exam, the client who is in the late first stage of labor was fully effaced, 8 cm dilated, vertex presentation, and station -1. Which observation would indicate that the fetus was in fetal distress?
- A. The fetal heart rate slowly drops to 110 beats/min during strong contractions, recovering to 138 beats/min immediately afterward.
- B. Fresh meconium is found on the examiner's gloved fingers after a vaginal exam, and the fetal monitor pattern remains essentially unchanged.
- C. Fresh, thick meconium is passed with a small gush of liquid, and the fetal monitor shows late decelerations with a variable descending baseline.
- D. The vaginal exam continues to reveal some old meconium staining, and the fetal monitor demonstrates a U-shaped pattern of deceleration during contractions, recovering to a baseline of 140 beats/min.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Meconium staining alone is not a sign of fetal distress. Meconium passage is a normal physiological function that is frequently noted with a fetus of more than 38 weeks' gestation. Fresh meconium, in combination with late decelerations and a variable descending baseline, is an ominous signal of fetal distress caused by fetal hypoxia. It is not unusual for the fetal heart rate to drop to less than the 140 to 160 beats/min range in late labor during contractions, and, in a healthy fetus, the fetal heart rate will recover between contractions. Old meconium staining may be the result of a prenatal trauma that is resolved.
A client had arterial blood gases drawn. The results are a pH of 7.34, a partial pressure of carbon dioxide of 37 mm Hg (37 mm Hg), a partial pressure of oxygen of 79 mm Hg (79 mm Hg), and a bicarbonate level of 19 mEq/L (19 mmol/L). Which disorder should the nurse interpret that the client is experiencing?
- A. Metabolic acidosis
- B. Metabolic alkalosis
- C. Respiratory acidosis
- D. Respiratory alkalosis
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Metabolic acidosis occurs when the pH falls to less than 7.35 and the bicarbonate level falls to less than 22 mEq/L (22 mmol/L). With metabolic alkalosis, the pH rises to more than 7.45 and the bicarbonate level rises to more than 27 mEq/L (27 mmol/L). With respiratory acidosis, the pH drops to less than 7.35 and the carbon dioxide level rises to more than 45 mm Hg. With respiratory alkalosis, the pH rises to more than 7.45 and the carbon dioxide level falls to less than 35 mm Hg.
What is the nurse's priority for the postprocedure care of a client who has just returned to the unit after a scheduled intravenous pyelogram (IVP)?
- A. Maintaining the client on bed rest
- B. Ambulating the client in the hallway
- C. Encouraging the increased intake of oral fluids
- D. Encouraging the client to try to void frequently
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: After IVP, the client should take in increased fluids to aid in the clearance of the dye used for the procedure. The client is usually allowed activity as tolerated, without any specific activity guidelines. It is unnecessary to void frequently after the procedure.
The nurse caring for a child diagnosed with kidney disease is analyzing the child's laboratory results and notes a sodium level of 148 mEq/L (148 mmol/L). On the basis of this finding, which clinical manifestation should the nurse expect to note in the child?
- A. Lethargy
- B. Diaphoresis
- C. Cold, wet skin
- D. Dry, sticky mucous membranes
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Hypernatremia occurs when the sodium level is more than 145 mEq/L (145 mmol/L). Clinical manifestations include intense thirst, oliguria, agitation, restlessness, flushed skin, peripheral and pulmonary edema, dry and sticky mucous membranes, nausea, and vomiting. None of the remaining options are associated with the clinical manifestations of hypernatremia.