A nurse is caring for a client who has a pulmonary embolism and is receiving therapy with unfractionated heparin. Which of the following laboratory results indicates that the therapy is effective?

Choice A rationale:

Difficulty maintaining personal hygiene is not typically an early indication of mild Alzheimer's disease. In the early stages, individuals can still manage personal hygiene.

Choice B rationale:

Difficulty handling finances may occur in the later stages of Alzheimer's disease, but it is not an early indication. In the early stages, the person might still manage financial matters.

Choice C rationale:

Difficulty remembering the names of new friends is a common early sign of mild Alzheimer's disease. It reflects the impairment of short-term memory that often occurs in the early stages of the disease.

Choice D rationale:

Difficulty driving to and from familiar places is more likely to be a mid-to-late-stage symptom of Alzheimer's disease. In the early stages, individuals might still drive familiar routes with minimal difficulty.

Choice A rationale:

A PT (Prothrombin Time) of 12 seconds is not indicative of the effectiveness of heparin therapy for a pulmonary embolism. PT measures the extrinsic pathway of the coagulation cascade, and it is more relevant to monitor in patients on warfarin therapy.

Choice B rationale:

The aPTT (Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time) of 75 seconds is the correct choice as it reflects the effectiveness of unfractionated heparin therapy. Heparin works by inhibiting clotting factors in the intrinsic pathway, and the aPTT is used to monitor heparin's anticoagulant effect. The normal range for aPTT is typically 25-35 seconds.

Choice C rationale:

An INR (International Normalized Ratio) of 1.1 is not the appropriate parameter to assess the effectiveness of heparin therapy. INR is primarily used to monitor the effectiveness of oral anticoagulants like warfarin, not heparin.

Choice D rationale:

The platelet count of 200,000/mm² is not a suitable parameter to evaluate the effectiveness of heparin therapy. Platelet count is important for assessing the risk of bleeding or clotting disorders but does not directly measure the impact of heparin on clotting factors.