A 69-year-old patient in the geriatric clinic has an annual physical examination and a complete blood count and serum electrolytes are drawn
While the physical examination was uneventful, the laboratory results show an elevated blood urea nitrogen (BUN). The nurse will then:
a. ask that the test be rerun since the client showed no physical signs of renal failure.
b. review the client's medication list since BUN can be affected by many specific medications.
c. instruct the client on collecting a 24-hour urine specimen for a more detailed analy-sis.
d. assure the client that an elevated BUN is normal in older adults.
ANS: B
BUN can be elevated as a result of certain medication therapies and so the nurse should assess for this possibility. An elevated BUN is not diagnostic of renal failure alone and will not neces-sarily be reflected in physical symptoms. A 24-hour urine sample will not generally be done to determine BUN levels. An elevated BUN is not expected as a normal part of aging. Renal func-tioning decreases substantially with aging, but in most cases the body is able to compensate ade-quately with only slight increases in laboratory findings.
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