A client with a history of antiphospholipid syndrome presents to the emergency department. Which of the following complaints lead the nurse to suspect the client is experiencing a complication related to the syndrome? Select all that apply

Question

A) Swelling in the right calf with redness and tenderness
B) Having respiratory symptoms like shortness of breath and chest pain
C) Have developed a cough that produced some bloody sputum
D) Developed a headache that has lasted for 3 days now
E) Having trouble making "water" and has pain in the lower abdomen and groin

Answer 1

Ans: A, B, C
Feedback:
Persons with the disorder present with a variety of clinical manifestations, typically those characterized by recurrent venous and arterial thrombi. Venous thrombosis (DVT), especially in the deep leg veins, occurs in up to 50% of persons with the syndrome, half of whom develop pulmonary emboli. Swelling in the right calf with redness and tenderness, having respiratory symptoms like shortness of breath and chest pain, and having a cough that produced some bloody sputum are signs of DVT and pulmonary emboli. Headache is not conclusive for a clot in the cerebral vessels. Having trouble urinating and pain in the lower abdomen and groin are classic signs of a kidney stone.