Nokea
The nurse is admitting a patient with diabetic ketoacidosis. Which of the following prescriptions should the nurse implement first?
- A. Administer regular IV insulin 30 units.
- B. Infuse 1 L of normal saline per hour.
- C. Give sodium bicarbonate 50 mEq IV push.
- D. Start an infusion of regular insulin at 50 units/hour.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The most urgent patient problem is the hypovolemia associated with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), and the priority is to infuse IV fluids. The other actions can be accomplished after the infusion of normal saline is initiated.
You may also like to solve these questions
The nurse is admitting a patient with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) who has a serum potassium level of 2.9 mmol/L. Which of the following actions prescribed by the health care provider should the nurse take first?
- A. Infuse regular insulin at 20 units/hour.
- B. Place the patient on a cardiac monitor.
- C. Administer IV potassium supplements.
- D. Obtain urine glucose and ketone levels.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Hypokalemia can lead to potentially fatal dysrhythmias such as ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation, which would be detected with ECG monitoring. Since potassium must be infused over at least 1 hour, the nurse should initiate cardiac monitoring before infusion of potassium. Insulin should not be administered without cardiac monitoring, since insulin infusion will further decrease potassium levels. Urine glucose and ketone levels are not urgently needed to manage the patient's care.
The nurse is assessing a patient who is recovering from an episode of diabetic ketoacidosis and the patient reports feeling anxious, nervous, and sweaty. Which of the following actions should the nurse take first?
- A. Administer 1 mg glucagon subcutaneously.
- B. Obtain a glucose reading using a finger stick.
- C. Have the patient drink 120 mL of orange juice.
- D. Give the scheduled dose of lispro insulin.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The patient's clinical manifestations are consistent with hypoglycemia and the initial action should be to check the patient's glucose with a finger stick or order a stat blood glucose. If the glucose is low, the patient should ingest a rapid-acting carbohydrate, such as orange juice. Glucagon might be given if the patient's symptoms become worse or if the patient is unconscious. Administration of lispro would drop the patient's glucose further.
The nurse is preparing to assess a patient who is pregnant and has no personal history of diabetes but does have a parent with diabetes. Which of the following actions should the nurse plan to take on this initial prenatal visit?
- A. Teach about appropriate use of regular insulin.
- B. Discuss the need for a fasting blood glucose level.
- C. Schedule an oral glucose tolerance test for the twenty-fourth week of pregnancy.
- D. Provide education about increased risk for fetal problems with gestational diabetes.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Patients at high risk for gestational diabetes should be screened for diabetes on the initial prenatal visit. An oral glucose tolerance test may also be used to check for diabetes, but it would be done before the twenty-fourth week. The other actions may also be needed (depending on whether the patient develops gestational diabetes), but they are not the first actions that the nurse should take.
Which of the following actions should the nurse take first when teaching a patient who is newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about home management of the disease?
- A. Ask the patient's family to participate in the diabetes education program.
- B. Assess the patient's perception of what it means to have diabetes mellitus.
- C. Demonstrate how to check glucose using capillary blood glucose monitoring.
- D. Discuss the need for the patient to participate actively in diabetes management.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Before planning education, the nurse should assess the patient's interest in and ability to self-manage the diabetes. After assessing the patient, the other nursing actions may be appropriate, but planning needs to be individualized to each patient.
The nurse is teaching a patient with diabetes who rides a bicycle to work every day about morning administration of insulin. Which of the following sites should the nurse tell the patient to use to administer the morning insulin?
- A. Arm
- B. Thigh
- C. Buttock
- D. Abdomen
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Patients should be taught not to administer insulin into a site that will be exercised because exercise will increase the rate of absorption. The thigh, buttock, and arm are all exercised by riding a bicycle.