A client is receiving nitroprusside IV for the treatment of acute heart failure with pulmonary edema. What diagnostic lab value should the nurse monitor when a client is receiving this medication?
- A. Potassium level
- B. Arterial blood gasses
- C. Blood urea nitrogen
- D. Thiocyanate
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Thiocyanate. Nitroprusside metabolism increases thiocyanate levels, which can lead to cyanide toxicity if elevated.
You may also like to solve these questions
The family of a young man who has been declared brain dead following an accident tells the nurse that the doctors said their son would be a good organ donor. They ask the nurse if donating his organs would mean that they could not have a regular funeral. Which response by the nurse is most accurate?
- A. Donating organs does deface the body, so a closed casket is necessary.
- B. Ask the physician which organs would be donated.
- C. Organ donation involves a surgical incision but should not interfere with any type of funeral.
- D. Donating organs is a wonderful service to humanity.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Organ donation involves surgical incisions but allows for open-casket funerals with proper preparation, addressing the family's concern accurately.
A 20-year-old woman is admitted to the hospital following an accident. Her uncle, a physician from out of state, visits her and asks to see her chart. How should the nurse respond?
- A. Comply with the request and give the chart to the physician
- B. Explain that written permission from his niece is needed first
- C. Suggest that he discuss the case with the attending physician
- D. Give him the chart but do not let him remove it from the nurse's station
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: HIPAA regulations require patient consent for chart access, even by a physician relative, unless they are directly involved in care. Permission from the patient is needed first.
The nurse is reinforcing teaching for a client who has a new prescription for levothyroxine. Which of the following information should the nurse reinforce?
- A. Discontinue the medication if you become pregnant.
- B. Take the medication at bedtime to decrease drowsiness.
- C. Notify your health care provider if you experience palpitations.
- D. Take the medication with a snack if you experience an upset stomach.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Palpitations may indicate levothyroxine overdose or hyperthyroidism, requiring prompt reporting to adjust the dose or evaluate thyroid function.
A 9 year-old is taken to the emergency room with right lower quadrant pain and vomiting. When preparing the child for an emergency appendectomy, what must the nurse expect to be the child's greatest fear?
- A. Change in body image
- B. An unfamiliar environment
- C. Perceived loss of control
- D. Guilt over being hospitalized
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: For school-age children, major fears are loss of control and separation from friends/peers.
In reviewing the assessment data of a client suspected of having diabetes insipidus, the nurse expects which of the following after a water deprivation test?
- A. Increased edema and weight gain
- B. Unchanged urine specific gravity
- C. Rapid protein secretion
- D. Decreased blood potassium
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Unchanged urine specific gravity. When fluids are restricted, the client continues to excrete large amounts of dilute urine. This finding supports the diagnosis. Normally, urine is more concentrated with reduced fluid intake.
Nokea