A patient injured in the home and unable to receive help or healthcare for 48 hours has a blood urea nitrogen level of 50 mg/dL and serum creatinine level of 1.0 mg/dL. For which problem should the nurse plan care for first for this patient?
1. dehydration
2. anxiety
3. pain
4. poor nutrition
Correct Answer: 1
To assess whether the patient's elevated blood urea nitrogen is caused by dehydration or renal failure, the nurse assesses the serum creatinine value. The patient's serum creatinine is normal, which does not indicate kidney failure. This patient is dehydrated. These laboratory values are not relevant to the problems of anxiety, pain, or poor nutrition.
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