Describe the care that a patient on anticoagulants must receive.
What will be an ideal response?
Answers will vary. Anticoagulants are strong drugs. Dosages must be adjusted carefully because they can lead to internal hemorrhage. Patients taking anticoagulants must routinely be monitored. Depending on the anticoagulant therapy prescribed, blood clotting tests including prothrombin time (PT), or international normalized ratio (INR), sometimes referred to as PT-INR are monitored. Other tests for patients on heparin-based therapies include thromboplastin time (PTT), and an activated clotting time (aPTT). They must also be observed for signs of blood in the urine and feces (red or dark brown urine and tarry stools) and bleeding from the skin or mucous membranes, which indicate an overdose of medication. Many other drugs (including OTC drugs such as aspirin, oral contraceptives, and antacids) affect the action of warfarin. Careful records must be kept of the various drugs a patient is taking.
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When admitting a client to the unit, the nurse would do which of the following to help the client feel a greater level of control over the situation in order to reduce anxiety?
1. Call him Charles, so he feels that he is among friends. 2. Ask him whether he would like his shaving kit in the bathroom or by his bed. 3. Tell him that he has to take off all his clothes and put on a hospital gown. 4. Show him to his room, and then leave him alone for a while to adjust.
The nurse is interviewing a 20-year-old client who is 14 weeks pregnant and seeking prenatal care. She tells the nurse that she likes to eat ice and occasionally eats dirt
The nurse should anticipate which of the following laboratory studies to be ordered? 1. Folate level 2. Calcium levels 3. Plasma lead level 4. Hair analysis
Which chemical creates cardiac cell contractions??
A) Sodium B) Calcium C) Potassium D) Magnesium
The drugs used to treat cancer cause serious side effects, such as hair loss, because they
A) contain a small amount of harmless radioactive substances. B) cannot distinguish cancer cells from normal cells. C) cause anemia, loss of red blood cells, protein, and nutrients. D) cause nausea so the patient cannot take in a proper diet.