A patient taking digoxin (Lanoxin) has all of the following laboratory blood values. Which value does the nurse report to the prescriber before administering the next dose of digoxin?
a. Sodium 133 mEq/L
b. Potassium 2.8 mEq/L
c. Blood urea nitrogen 9 mg/dL
d. White blood cell count 11,000 cells/mm3
B
Serum potassium level affects the activity of digoxin. A value of 2.8 is low (hypokalemia). Any abnormal potassium value (high or low) requires the prescriber to change the digoxin dosage. In addition, action is needed to bring this critical electrolyte value back to its normal range. Al-though the other laboratory values are slightly abnormal, none are critically abnormal or likely to have an effect on digoxin activity.
You might also like to view...
What type of hypothesis is the following? (Select all that apply.) The number of children in the home is associated with noise level in that home, and with parental stress
a. Simple hypothesis b. Complex hypothesis c. Causal hypothesis d. Associative hypothesis e. Nondirectional hypothesis f. Directional hypothesis
An older adult client is hospitalized after a fall. The client states, "I want to return home because I like to be independent." The nurse notes that the client lives alone and will be required to attend physical therapy three times a week
Which of the following nursing diagnoses is appropriate for this client? a. Anxiety b. Ineffective coping c. Self-care deficit d. Impaired home maintenance
A client with a systemic infection from an infected leg wound tells the nurse, "It's getting hard to breathe.". The nurse realizes this client is at risk for developing:
1. Deep vein thrombosis. 2. Anemia. 3. Allergic response from antibiotic therapy. 4. Acute respiratory distress syndrome.
An elderly client tells the nurse that she reads the paper better when the paper is off to the left or the right. The nurse realizes this client is demonstrating signs of which of the following:
1. Cataract 2. Macular degeneration 3. Vision changes from a stroke 4. Floaters