Following thyroid surgery, a patient develops hypercalcemia. The nurse would suspect which etiology?
1. Damage to the part of the thyroid that produces T3 hormone
2. Stimulation of the area of the thyroid that produces antidiuretic hormone
3. Damage to parathyroid tissues
4. Decrease in the amount of available thyroid-stimulating hormone
3
Rationale 1: Deficiency of T3 hormone would not change the calcium level.
Rationale 2: Antidiuretic hormone is produced by the posterior pituitary.
Rationale 3: The parathyroid glands are embedded in thyroid tissue and can be inadvertently damaged during thyroid surgery. Parathyroid hormone functions to maintain calcium balance.
Rationale 4: Thyroid-stimulating hormone is produced in the anterior pituitary.
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