A patient who has been taking carbamazepine (Tegretol) for 2 months has all of the following blood laboratory results. Which result does the nurse report to the prescriber immediately?
a. White blood cell (WBC) count 2200/mm3
b. Platelet count 300,000/mm3
c. Potassium 3.6 mEq/L
d. Sodium 132 mEq/L
A
Carbamazepine can suppress bone marrow activity and decrease the number of WBCs. This pa-tient's WBC count is much lower than normal (normal range is 5000 to 10,000/mm3), greatly increasing his or her risk for infection. The drug must be discontinued as soon as possible (but not abruptly). The blood sodium level is slightly low as well, but it is not an immediate problem.
You might also like to view...
A nurse is teaching a client with chronic migraine headaches. Which statement related to complementary therapy should the nurse include in this client's teaching?
a. "Place a warm compress on your forehead at the onset of the headache." b. "Wear dark sunglasses when you are in brightly lit spaces." c. "Lie down in a darkened room when you experience a headache." d. "Set your alarm to ensure you do not sleep longer than 6 hours at one time."
The main purpose of certification is to:
a. assure the consumer that you will not make a mistake. b. prepare for graduate school. c. promote magnet status for your facility. d. validate knowledge of critical care nursing.
An older adult client with type 2 diabetes and hypertension asks the nurse, "What should my blood pressure goal be?" How should the nurse respond?
A) "Less than 190/88 mmHg." B) "Less than 150/90 mmHg." C) "Less than 140/88 mmHg." D) "Less than 130/90 mmHg."
A patient has seasonal allergies and needs an antihistamine to control symptoms. The patient likes to have wine with dinner several times a week and wants to know which antihistamine will be the safest to take
The nurse will tell the patient to discuss which medication with the provider? a. Cetirizine (Zyrtec) b. Fexofenadine (Allegra) c. Levocetirizine (Xyzal) d. Loratadine (Claritin)