A nurse is caring for a client who is receiving warfarin 5 mg PO daily. Which of the following laboratory values should the nurse check prior to administering the medication? (Select all that apply.)
BUN
Serum potassium
PT
Serum sodium
INR
Correct Answer : C,E
A. BUN: Blood urea nitrogen is a marker of renal function and is not directly affected by warfarin therapy. While renal function is important for overall medication safety, it does not guide warfarin dosing or anticoagulation monitoring.
B. Serum potassium: Potassium levels are important for cardiac and neuromuscular function but are not influenced by warfarin. Monitoring potassium is unrelated to evaluating the effectiveness or safety of warfarin therapy.
C. PT: Prothrombin time measures the extrinsic and common coagulation pathways, which are directly affected by warfarin. Checking PT before administration helps assess anticoagulation status and the risk of bleeding, allowing for appropriate dose adjustments.
D. Serum sodium: Sodium levels are critical for fluid balance and neurologic function but do not affect warfarin therapy or coagulation. Monitoring sodium is not necessary for safe administration of warfarin.
E. INR: International normalized ratio standardizes PT results to guide warfarin therapy safely. It provides a reliable measure of anticoagulation and bleeding risk, and checking INR before administering warfarin ensures the dose is appropriate for therapeutic anticoagulation.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is D
Explanation
A. "A nurse will insert an IV prior to starting the test.": A nonstress test (NST) is noninvasive and does not require intravenous access. IV insertion is unnecessary unless other procedures or interventions are planned concurrently, so this statement is inaccurate for routine NST preparation.
B. "You should have nothing to eat or drink for 4 hours prior to the test.": Fasting is not required for an NST. In fact, eating can stimulate fetal activity, which may improve the accuracy of the test by eliciting heart rate accelerations in response to movement.
C. "You should expect the test to take a minimum of 2 hours.": A typical NST usually takes 20–40 minutes to complete, depending on fetal activity. Expecting a minimum of 2 hours may unnecessarily alarm the client and does not reflect standard test duration.
D. "You will be asked to press a button when you feel your baby move.": During an NST, the client uses an event marker to indicate fetal movements. This helps correlate accelerations in the fetal heart rate with fetal activity, providing important information about fetal well-being and autonomic function.
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
A. Allow the infant to have soft foods: After cleft palate repair, oral intake is typically restricted to prevent trauma to the surgical site. Soft or solid foods can disrupt sutures and increase the risk of bleeding or infection. Oral intake is usually limited to clear liquids or specially prepared feeds until healing is sufficient.
B. Maintain elbow restraints on the infant: Elbow restraints (arm splints) help prevent the infant from touching or putting fingers or objects in the mouth, which could damage the surgical site. This intervention protects the integrity of the repair during the critical postoperative healing period and reduces the risk of complications such as dehiscence or infection.
C. Instruct the parents to feed the infant with a spoon: Spoon feeding can apply pressure to the palate and sutures, potentially causing trauma to the repair site. Feeding is often done using specialized devices such as a syringe, cup, or soft-tipped feeders designed to minimize contact with the surgical area.
D. Tell the parents to avoid brushing the infant's teeth for two weeks: Oral hygiene is still important after cleft palate repair, but brushing must be gentle to avoid trauma. Complete avoidance is unnecessary; instead, the nurse should instruct parents to use soft-bristled brushes and avoid the immediate surgical site while maintaining overall oral cleanliness.
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