A nurse is teaching a client who has active pulmonary tuberculosis about management of medication for the disease.
Which of the following statements is appropriate for the nurse to make?

This is because a weight gain of 2.5 kg (5 Ib) in 2 days indicates a worsening of heart failure and fluid retention, which may require an adjustment of the diuretic dose or other medications.

The provider should be informed of this change as soon as possible to prevent further complications.

Choice A is wrong because teaching the client about foods low in sodium is not the first action the nurse should take.

While a low-sodium diet is important for heart failure patients, it is not an urgent intervention and it does not address the immediate problem of fluid overload.

Choice B is wrong because determining medication adherence by the client is not the first action the nurse should take.

While it is important to assess if the client is taking furosemide as prescribed, it is not an urgent intervention and it does not rule out other causes of fluid retention, such as renal impairment or disease progression.

Choice C is wrong because encouraging the client to dangle the legs while sitting in a chair is not the first action the nurse should take.

While this may help reduce edema in the lower extremities, it does not address the underlying cause of fluid overload and it may worsen pulmonary congestion by increasing venous return to the heart.

Taking a high-ceiling diuretic predisposes this client to developing digoxin toxicity because it can cause hypokalemia (low blood potassium level), which increases the sensitivity of the heart to digoxin. Digoxin is a medicine that is used to treat heart failure or arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms) by increasing cardiac contractility and controlling the heart rate. Digoxin toxicity happens when there is too much digoxin in the body and it becomes harmful, causing symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, headache, confusion, vision disturbance, and irregular heartbeat.

Choice A is wrong because taking an HMG CoA reductase inhibitor (also called a statin) does not increase the risk of digoxin toxicity.

Statins are lipid-lowering medications used to prevent coronary heart disease by blocking an enzyme involved in cholesterol synthesis.

Statins do not affect the blood potassium level or the sensitivity of the heart to digoxin.

Choice B is wrong because having a 10-year history of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) does not increase the risk of digoxin toxicity. COPD is a lung condition that causes breathing difficulties and chronic inflammation.

COPD does not affect the blood potassium level or the sensitivity of the heart to digoxin.

Choice D is wrong because having a prolapsed mitral valve does not increase the risk of digoxin toxicity.

A prolapsed mitral valve is a condition where the valve between the left atrium and left ventricle of the heart does not close properly, allowing some blood to leak back into the atrium.

A prolapsed mitral valve does not affect the blood potassium level or the sensitivity of the heart to digoxin.