A preoperative nurse is reviewing morning laboratory values on four clients waiting for surgery. Which result warrants immediate communication with the surgical team?
a. Creatinine: 1.2 mg/dL
b. Hemoglobin: 14.8 mg/dL
c. Potassium: 2.9 mEq/L
d. Sodium: 134 mEq/L
ANS: C
A potassium of 2.9 mEq/L is critically low and can affect cardiac and respiratory status. The nurse should communicate this laboratory value immediately. The creatinine is at the high end of normal, the hemoglobin is normal, and the sodium is only slightly low (normal low being 136 mEq/L), so these values do not need to be reported immediately.
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