A client with a history of heart failure is prescribed furosemide. Which assessment finding indicates the medication is effective?

Choice A reason: Anorexia is common in hepatitis due to systemic inflammation but is nonspecific, occurring in many conditions. Clay-colored stools directly indicate impaired bile excretion from liver dysfunction, a hallmark of hepatitis, making it a more diagnostic finding.

Choice B reason: Clay-colored stools are highly indicative of hepatitis, as liver inflammation impairs bile production or excretion, reducing bilirubin in feces. This causes pale stools, reflecting hepatic dysfunction, making it a key finding to confirm hepatitis over nonspecific symptoms like anorexia.

Choice C reason: Brown, foamy urine is not typical of hepatitis. Dark urine from bilirubinuria may occur, but foamy urine suggests proteinuria, unrelated to liver dysfunction. Clay-colored stools are more specific, indicating bile flow obstruction, a direct sign of hepatitis pathology.

Choice D reason: Hematemesis indicates gastrointestinal bleeding, not a primary hepatitis feature. While advanced liver disease may cause variceal bleeding, clay-colored stools are an earlier, more specific sign of hepatitis-related bile impairment, making them the priority finding in acute cases.

Choice A reason: Administering an antacid relieves epigastric pain but is premature without assessing pain characteristics. Pain in peptic ulcer disease may indicate complications like perforation, requiring urgent evaluation. Assessment guides whether antacids or other interventions are appropriate, prioritizing patient safety.

Choice B reason: Assessing pain characteristics (e.g., location, intensity, radiation) is the first step, as epigastric pain in peptic ulcer disease may signal complications like bleeding or perforation. This data guides interventions, ensuring timely management of potentially life-threatening conditions, making it the priority action.

Choice C reason: Checking NSAID use identifies ulcer triggers but is secondary to pain assessment. Pain characteristics determine urgency, as severe or radiating pain may indicate perforation, requiring immediate action. Assessment provides critical data before investigating contributing factors like medication history.

Choice D reason: Obtaining a stool sample for occult blood detects gastrointestinal bleeding but is not the first step. Assessing pain characteristics identifies urgent complications like perforation, guiding whether diagnostic tests or interventions are needed, making pain assessment the initial priority.