Police bring a patient to the emergency department after an automobile accident. The patient is ataxic and has slurred speech and mild confusion. The blood alcohol level is 0.4 mg%
Considering the relationship between the behavior and blood alcohol level, which conclusion is most probable? The patient: a. rarely drinks alcohol.
b. has a high tolerance to alcohol.
c. has been treated with disulfiram (Antabuse).
d. has ingested both alcohol and sedative drugs recently.
B
A nontolerant drinker would be in coma with a blood alcohol level of 0.40 mg%. The fact that the patient is moving and talking shows a discrepancy between blood alcohol level and expected behavior and strongly indicates that the patient's body is tolerant. If disulfiram and alcohol are ingested together, an entirely different clinical picture would result. The blood alcohol level gives no information about ingestion of other drugs.
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The nurse researcher audiotaped interviews with subjects and would like to play these tapes during dissemination. What steps might this require?
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To assess a client who is experiencing symptoms of overflow incontinence, the nurse will focus on which area?
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