A nurse is caring for a patient taking quinidine to suppress sustained ventricular tachycardia. The nurse observes that the patient's ECG shows QRS complexes that have widened by 60% from the baseline measurement. The nurse should
a. continue administering the medication as ordered.
b. check with the prescriber on rounds about increasing the dosage.
c. check with the prescriber on the next shift's rounds about the drug.
d. discontinue the medication and notify the prescriber immediately.
D
Cardiotoxicity has occurred, as indicated by the QRS complex widening by more than 50% from baseline. The medication should be discontinued and the prescriber notified.
The medication should not be administered or increased, because this can complicate the cardi-otoxicity.
The drug needs to be stopped immediately and the prescriber notified. This information cannot wait to be shared at a later time.
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The nurse is providing teaching for a patient with an anal fissure as a complication of Crohn's disease. Which statement by the patient indicates the need for further teaching?
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As the nurse assists a new mother with breastfeeding, she asks, "If formula is prepared to meet the nutritional needs of the newborn, what is in breast milk that makes it better?" The nurse's best response is that it contains:
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