The physician has ordered amiodarone (Cordarone). Prior to starting this medication, the nurse would alert the physician to which laboratory result?

1. Sodium 140 mEq/L
2. Potassium 3.1 mEq/L
3. Potassium 5.1 mEq/L
4. International normalized ratio (INR) of 12 seconds


Correct Answer: 2
Rationale: Hypokalemia and hypomagnesemia should be corrected prior to initiating therapy with amiodarone (Cordarone). 5.1 mEq/L is a normal potassium level. 140 mEq/L is a normal sodium level. Twelve seconds is a normal international normalized ratio (INR) level.

Nursing

You might also like to view...

A nurse is caring for a pediatric client with acute conjunctivitis. (See image.) The client presents with purulent discharge and crusting of the eye. Based on this data, which type of conjunctivitis does the nurse suspect?

A) Viral B) Allergic C) Bacterial D) Fungal

Nursing

Which drug can be used to increase aqueous outflow in patients with open-angle glaucoma?

a. Timolol b. Pilocarpine c. Apraclonidine d. Acetazolamide

Nursing

The ONC-sponsored Standards & Interoperability Framework completes its health IT standards development initiatives using:

a. consensus-based decision making through a moderated online wiki. b. monthly conference calls of volunteers working on each initiative. c. surveys sent out to provider organizations working on EHR implementation. d. face-to-face work teams assembled to work on each initiative.

Nursing

Most cultures label behavior as mental illness on the basis of which of the following criteria?

A. Incomprehensibility and cultural relativity B. Strength of character and ethics C. Goal directedness and high energy D. Creativity and good coping skills

Nursing