A healthcare professional is administering 1 L of 0.9% sodium chloride to a client who is postoperative and has fluid volume deficit. Which of the following changes should the healthcare professional identify as an indication that the treatment was successful?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The correct answer is D: Decrease in capillary refill time. Administering 0.9% sodium chloride helps to increase blood volume and improve tissue perfusion, leading to a decrease in capillary refill time. This improvement indicates that the treatment was successful in addressing the fluid volume deficit.
A: Increase in hematocrit would not be an immediate indication of the success of fluid resuscitation as it may take time for the hematocrit levels to reflect changes in blood volume.
B: Increase in respiratory rate could indicate respiratory distress or other issues not related to the effectiveness of fluid resuscitation.
C: Decrease in heart rate could be due to various factors and may not directly correlate with the success of fluid replacement therapy.
In summary, the most immediate and direct indicator of successful fluid resuscitation in this scenario is a decrease in capillary refill time.