A 21-year-old football player at the local university presents to the emergency room with a blunt trauma injury after being tackled from behind during a game

Question

Upon admission, there is a high suspicion that the patient has sustained an injury to his kidneys. The emergency room nurse caring for the patient reviews the initial physician orders and notes that it requires all voided urine to be collected and sent to the laboratory for analysis. The nurse understands that this nursing intervention is important because:
A) Hematuria is the most common manifestation of renal trauma; blood losses may be microscopic, so laboratory analysis is essential.
B) Intake and output calculations are essential, and the laboratory will calculate the precise urine output produced by this patient.
C) A creatinine clearance study may be ordered at a later time, and the laboratory will hold all urine until it is determined if the test will be necessary.
D) There is great concern about electrolyte imbalances, and the laboratory will monitor the urine for sodium concentrations.

Answer 1

Ans: A
Feedback: Hematuria is the most common manifestation of renal trauma; its presence after trauma suggests renal injury. Hematuria may not occur, or it may be detectable only on microscopic examination. All urine should be saved and sent to the laboratory for analysis to detect RBCs and to evaluate the course of bleeding.