You are caring for a patient admitted with a diagnosis of renal failure. When you review your patient's laboratory reports, you note that the patient's magnesium levels are high. What would be important for you to assess?

A) Diminished deep tendon reflexes
B) Tachycardia
C) Cool, clammy skin
D) Increased serum magnesium


Ans: A
Feedback: To gauge a patient's magnesium status, the nurse should check deep tendon reflexes. If the reflex is absent, this may indicate high serum magnesium. Tachycardia and cool, clammy skin are not assessments for hypermagnesemia. Option D is incorrect because you do not assess increased serum magnesium to assess high magnesium levels.

Nursing

You might also like to view...

The nurse is monitoring the intake and output for a preterm infant. Which action by the nurse indicates correct assessment technique when monitoring urine output?

A) Document "unable to obtain" on the graphic sheet. B) Apply an external condom catheter. C) Insert an indwelling urinary catheter. D) Weigh diapers using the estimate that 1 ml = 1 gram of weight.

Nursing

A patient comes to the emergency room for evaluation of shortness of breath. To which anatomic region would you assign the symptom?

A) Reproductive B) Urinary C) Cardiac D) Hematologic

Nursing

In caring for a patient with a uterine rupture, the nurse determines which nursing diagnoses to be appropriate? Note: Credit will be given only if all correct choices and no incorrect choices are selected. Select all that apply

1. Risk for Impaired Gas Exchange 2. Fear related to unknown 3. Impaired Individual Coping 4. Impaired Physical Mobility 5. Anxiety

Nursing

The nurse explains that because of high body surface area to mass and small amount of subcutaneous fat, a child after submersion is at risk for:

a. Aspiration pneumonia b. Brain damage c. Hypothermia d. Seizures

Nursing