A client is prescribed a thiazide diuretic for the management of hypertension.
The nurse plans to assess the client for allergy to?

This is because potassium sparing diuretics do not lower potassium levels in the blood, unlike other types of diuretics.Potassium is an essential electrolyte that serves nerve and muscular functions and is regulated by the kidneys.Low potassium levels can cause irregular heartbeats and other problems. Therefore, patients taking potassium sparing diuretics should avoid food sources that are high in potassium, such as bananas, avocados, spinach, and potatoes.

Choice A is wrong because thiazide diuretics, such as hydrochlorothiazide, can cause low potassium levels in the blood.

Patients taking thiazide diuretics may need to take potassium supplements or eat more potassium-rich foods to prevent hypokalemia.

Choice B is wrong because osmotic diuretics, such as mannitol, do not affect potassium levels in the blood.

They work by increasing the amount of water in the urine, but do not alter the electrolyte balance.

Osmotic diuretics are mainly used to treat cerebral edema and glaucoma.

Choice D is wrong because loop diuretics, such as furosemide, can also cause low potassium levels in the blood.

They work by inhibiting the reabsorption of sodium and water in the loop of Henle, a part of the kidney.

Loop diuretics are used to treat edema and heart failure.

Normal ranges for potassium in the blood are 3.5 to 5.0 millimoles per liter (mmol/L).

Anticoagulants are medicines that increase the time it takes for blood to clot.They do not dissolve existing clots, but they can stop them from getting bigger or prevent new clots from forming.Anticoagulants work by interfering with different steps of the blood coagulation pathway, which is a complex process that involves many clotting factors.

Choice A is wrong because anticoagulants do not dissolve existing clots.To dissolve clots, you need medicines called thrombolytics or fibrinolytics, which break down the fibrin that holds the clots together.

Choice B is wrong because anticoagulants do not transport platelets.

Platelets are blood cells that help with clotting by sticking together and forming a plug at the site of an injury.Anticoagulants may affect the function of platelets, but they do not move them around.

Choice D is wrong because anticoagulants do not increase blood viscosity.

Viscosity is a measure of how thick and sticky a fluid is.

Anticoagulants are sometimes called blood thinners, but they do not actually change the viscosity of blood.They just make it less likely to clot.

Normal ranges for blood clotting tests vary depending on the type of test and the laboratory that performs it.

Some common tests and their normal ranges are:

• Prothrombin time (PT): 11 to 13.5 seconds

• International normalized ratio (INR): 0.8 to 1.2

• Activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT): 25 to 35 seconds

• Anti-factor Xa: 0.3 to 0.7 units/mL

• D-dimer: less than 0.5 mcg/mL