The health care provider is reluctant to provide pain medication to a patient delivering a preterm fetus. What should the nurse explain to the patient as the reason for the preterm fetus being more affected by medication?

Question

A) Affinity of the preterm fetus to fat-soluble drugs
B) Inability of the immature liver to metabolize or inactivate drugs
C) Affinity of the preterm fetus to drugs that are strongly bound to protein
D) Inability of the preterm fetus to use drugs with a molecular weight over 1,000

Answer 1

B
Feedback:
A preterm fetus, which has an immature liver and is unable to metabolize or inactivate drugs, is generally more affected by drugs than a term fetus. A preterm fetus does not have an affinity to drugs that are fat soluble or strongly bound to protein. The preterm fetus is not able to metabolize drugs because of an immature liver, which has nothing to do with the molecular weight of the medication.