The nurse is performing an admission assessment on a 46-year-old client, who states, "I have been drinking a 12-pack of beer every day for the past 20 years." Which laboratory abnormality does the nurse correlate with this history?
a. Decreased white blood cell (WBC) count
b. Decreased bleeding time
c. Elevated prothrombin time (PT)
d. Elevated red blood cell (RBC) count
C
The liver is the site for production of prothrombin and most of the blood-clotting factors. If the liver is damaged because of chronic alcoholism, it is unable to produce these clotting factors. Therefore, the PT could become elevated, which would reflect deficiency of some clotting fac-tors. The WBC would not be elevated in this situation because no infection is present. Bleeding time would likely increase. The client's RBC count most likely would not be affected unless the client was bleeding, in which case it would decrease.
You might also like to view...
A client is taking fluoxetine (Prozac) and wonders if adding St. John's wort would help. Knowing that St
John's wort acts similar to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), the nurse is concerned that by taking both, the client may develop: 1. Nothing since these substances do not interact. 2. Serotonin syndrome. 3. Mania. 4. Depression.
The nurse is performing an assessment on a client who has been taking a tricyclic antidepressant for several weeks. Which common adverse effect of tricyclic antidepressants is most likely to occur?
1. Dry mouth 2. Bradycardia 3. Sedation 4. Orthostatic hypotension
Which of the following is not a non-physiological cause of undernutrition in older people?
a. Wealth. b. Inability to shop. c. Social isolation. d. Inability to prepare and cook meals.
The nurse notes there is a lack of convergence when testing a client's accommodation. Which cranial nerves should the nurse recognize are potentially dysfunctional? Select all that apply.
A. IV. B. II. C. III. D. VII. E. VI.