A 53-year-old female is admitted with signs of acute pancreatitis. The patient's serum glucose level is 250 mg/dl, white blood cell count 18,000 mm3 and serum SGOT 190 U/dL
From these assessment findings, the nurse would calculate this patient's mortality rate as being 1. 1%
2. 16%
3. 40%
4. near 100%
1
Rationale: For the mortality rate to be 1%, the patient needs to have less than 3 risk factors upon admission. The patient is 53 years old. This would be a positive risk factor if the patient were older than age 55. The patients' serum glucose level is 250 mg/dL. This is a risk factor. The patient's white blood cell count is 18,000 mm3. This is also a risk factor. The patient's SGOT is 190 U/dL. This would be a risk factor if the level were greater than 250 U/dL. From this information, the patient has 2 risk factors which places the patient in the 1% mortality range. Three to four risk factors would place the patient in the 16% mortality range. Five to six risk factors places the patient in the 40% mortality range. Greater than or equal to seven risk factors places the patient in the near 100% mortality range.
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