When the nurse is reviewing a patient's daily laboratory test results, which of the ff. electrolyte imbalances should the nurse recognize as predisposing the patient to digoxin toxicity?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Hypokalemia, or low potassium levels, predisposes the patient to digoxin toxicity because potassium is essential for proper digoxin metabolism. Potassium competes with digoxin for binding sites on sodium-potassium ATPase pumps in the myocardial cells. When potassium levels are low, digoxin binding is increased, leading to an increased risk of digoxin toxicity. Monitoring and correcting hypokalemia are important in patients taking digoxin to reduce the risk of toxicity. Hyperkalemia, on the other hand, can increase the risk of digoxin toxicity by affecting electrophysiological properties of the heart, but hypokalemia is the most significant imbalance predisposing to digoxin toxicity.