A 14-year-old boy is brought to the clinic by his mother. The patient has a note from his basketball coach explaining that a member of the team has been diagnosed with hepatitis A infection
The nurse notes that the patient has an extensive list of allergies. What is the nurse's priority action when administering the immune globulin? A) Perform a hepatitis A antibody check.
B) Monitor the patient carefully and have emergency equipment ready if needed.
C) Apply ice to the injection site to slow the absorption of the serum.
D) Give the patient aspirin and a corticosteroid before the injection to modulate reaction.
B
Feedback:
If a patient has known allergies, it is important to monitor the patient carefully and have emergency equipment ready if needed after injection of proteins such as immune globulin. Severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, could occur. Ice would slow absorption of the immune globulin, delaying the reaction and delivery of the immune globulin to the bloodstream where it can act on the hepatitis A virus. If a person had hepatitis A antibodies, the immune globulin would not be needed. The delay in getting that information could be problematic if the patient had been exposed to hepatitis A. Aspirin should be avoided in children due to risk of Reye's syndrome. Corticosteroids can reduce immune response and so would be contraindicated.
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