A patient at 24 week' gestation reports to the clinic nurse that she is tired all the time. What is the nurse's best response?
a. "Everyone has chronic anemia at this time in pregnancy."
b. "I'll make sure your health care provider is informed of your concern."
c. "Your urine is clean of protein and sugar. You are doing well at this time."
d. "Make sure you are drinking enough fluid to keep up with the demands of your body."
ANS: B
The patient is experiencing classic signs of physiologic anemia, or an increase in the amount of plasma resulting in a dilution of circulating red blood cells (RBCs). Red blood cell production will continue to increase throughout pregnancy, with a resulting resolution in physiologic anemia. The health care provider will likely order a complete blood count to verify this. The anemia is physiologic and not chronic because there is no decrease in circulating RBCs. The absence of proteinuria and glucosuria is reassuring, but these findings are not correlated with fatigue. Adequate fluid volume intake is essential in pregnancy but is not responsible for the development of physiologic anemia or the corresponding fatigue.
You might also like to view...
A patient is started on albuterol (Proventil). Of what adverse reaction should the patient be warned?
A) Polydipsia B) Tachycardia C) Hypotension D) Diarrhea
The patient's cirrhosis of the liver has also caused a dilation of the veins of the lower esophagus secondary to portal hypertension, resulting in the development of the complication of:
a. esophageal varices. b. diverticulosis. c. Crohn disease. d. esophageal reflux (GERD).
The nurse observes the laboratory studies for a client in the hospital with fatigue, feeling cold all of the time, and hemoglobin of 8.6 g/dL and a hematocrit of 28%. What finding would be an indicator of iron-deficiency anemia?
A) Erythrocytes that are microcytic and hypochromic B) Erythrocytes that are macrocytic and hyperchromic C) Clustering of platelets with sickled red blood cells D) An increased number of erythrocytes
The nurse is assessing a newborn who exhibits continued extrusion of the tongue. Which diagnosis does the nurse anticipate based on this data?
1) Tetralogy of Fallot 2) Diabetes insipidus 3) Diabetes mellitus 4) Down syndrome