Lithium is prescribed for a new patient. Which information from the patient's history indicates that monitoring serum concentrations of the drug will be challenging and critical?
a. Arthritis
b. Epilepsy
c. Psoriasis
d. Congestive heart failure
ANS: D
The patient with congestive heart failure will likely need diuretic drugs, which will complicate the maintenance of the fluid balance necessary to avoid lithium toxicity.
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The eating disorders clinic sees a number of overweight adolescent girls. In addition to monitoring these adolescents for the health problems related to obesity, the nurse will monitor the girls for which mental health problem?
1. Substance abuse 2. School phobia 3. Spiritual distress 4. Negative self-esteem
The client is receiving a unit of packed red blood cells. Fifteen minutes into the infusion, the client is cyanotic and complains of chest pain. What is the nurse's best first action?
A. Administer oxygen. B. Stop the transfusion. C. Call the emergency team. D. Increase the infusion flow rate.
A community health nurse is preparing a presentation for a community group about tuberculosis (TB) and its current epidemic status. Which of the following would the nurse include in the presentation about this disease?
A) TB kills about 1.7 million people each year. B) All persons who are infected by the causative organism become ill and can spread the causative organism to others throughout the remainder of their lifetime. C) Three fourths of the world's population is thought to be currently infected by the causative organism. D) The highest number of deaths is in Eastern Europe.
Which technique is most appropriate for a nurse to implement during the assessment of the abdomen?
a. Assessing painful areas first b. Auscultating for 5 minutes over each quadrant c. Positioning the patient in a supine position with the arms behind or over the head d. Palpating painful masses or organ enlargement deeply and firmly