After placing a client at 26-weeks gestation in the lithotomy position, the client complains of dizziness and becomes pale and diaphoretic. Which action should the nurse implement?
Place the client in the Trendelenburg position.
Remove the client's legs from the stirrups.
Instruct the client to take deep breaths.
Place a wedge under the client's hip.
The Correct Answer is D
A. Place the client in the Trendelenburg position: While this position may increase venous return, it does not address the underlying cause in a pregnant client, which is usually aortocaval compression by the uterus. Simply tilting the table may be less effective than proper lateral displacement.
B. Remove the client's legs from the stirrups: Removing the legs may relieve some discomfort but does not correct the maternal hypotension caused by pressure on the inferior vena cava. Additional interventions are needed to improve circulation.
C. Instruct the client to take deep breaths: Deep breathing may help with anxiety or mild shortness of breath but does not resolve the hemodynamic compromise caused by supine hypotensive syndrome.
D. Place a wedge under the client's hip: Placing a wedge under the right or left hip tilts the uterus off the inferior vena cava, improving venous return, cardiac output, and blood pressure. This is the priority action to relieve dizziness, pallor, and diaphoresis in a pregnant client at 26 weeks’ gestation.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is []
Explanation
• Nephrotic syndrome: The child’s rapid weight gain over two months, generalized edema, fatigue with minimal activity, and laboratory findings showing significant proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia, and mild hematuria strongly suggest nephrotic syndrome, which involves increased glomerular permeability and fluid retention.
• Administering intravenous albumin increases plasma oncotic pressure, helping to pull interstitial fluid back into the intravascular space, thereby reducing edema, improving circulatory volume, and supporting perfusion in a child with hypoalbuminemia.
• Provide a low-salt diet: Implementing a low-sodium diet is essential to help manage fluid retention associated with nephrotic syndrome, as excessive sodium intake worsens edema and may contribute to hypertension and further fluid overload.
• Daily weight: Monitoring daily weight provides a sensitive measure of fluid status and the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions, as even small changes in weight can reflect shifts in edema or fluid accumulation.
• Abdominal girth: Measuring abdominal girth regularly allows the nurse to track ascites and fluid accumulation in the peritoneal cavity, which is a common complication of nephrotic syndrome and can indicate worsening disease or inadequate response to therapy.
Rationale for Incorrect Choices:
• Type 1 diabetes: Type 1 diabetes typically presents with hyperglycemia, polyuria, polydipsia, and weight loss, none of which are observed in this child. The presence of edema and proteinuria is not consistent with diabetes.
• Hemolytic uremic syndrome: HUS is characterized by acute kidney injury, microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, and thrombocytopenia. This child does not exhibit hemolysis, platelet abnormalities, or acute renal failure, making HUS unlikely.
• Wilms' tumor: Wilms’ tumor usually presents as a palpable abdominal mass, sometimes with hematuria, but it does not cause generalized edema, proteinuria, or hypoalbuminemia, which are prominent in this child.
• Place the child on strict bed rest: Strict bed rest is unnecessary unless the child’s symptoms are severe. Children with nephrotic syndrome can maintain normal activity levels while under medical monitoring.
• Prepare the child for emergency surgery: Nephrotic syndrome is a medical condition requiring pharmacologic and dietary management, not surgical intervention; surgery is not indicated in this scenario.
• Prepare an insulin drip: There is no evidence of hyperglycemia, ketosis, or diabetes in this child, so initiating an insulin drip would be inappropriate and unrelated to the presenting condition.
• Lymph node size: Lymphadenopathy is not a feature of nephrotic syndrome, and changes in lymph node size would not provide useful information for monitoring this child’s condition or treatment response.
• Ketones: Ketone monitoring is relevant for patients with diabetes or fasting states but is not necessary in nephrotic syndrome, as ketonuria is not a feature of this disease.
• Bladder volume: Bladder monitoring is not required because there is no evidence of urinary obstruction or retention; fluid balance is better assessed by weight and urine output rather than bladder volume.
Correct Answer is ["A","D","E","G","H"]
Explanation
A. Apply warm blankets: Warm blankets are a safe, noninvasive method to prevent further heat loss and support gradual rewarming in a client with hypothermia. They help increase comfort and core temperature.
B. Administer an antipyretic: Antipyretics lower fever caused by infection or inflammation. This client has hypothermia, not hyperthermia, so this action would worsen the condition rather than improve it.
C. Place ice packs around the client's head: Ice packs are used for hyperthermia management, not hypothermia. Applying them would further reduce core body temperature and increase the risk of complications.
D. Check the temperature of the humidified oxygen attached to the ventilator: Ensuring the oxygen is warmed and humidified prevents further heat loss through the respiratory tract, which is critical for a hypothermic intubated client.
E. Instill warm fluids in the nasogastric tube: Warmed enteral fluids can help gently increase core body temperature when administered via an NG tube, especially in prolonged hypothermia management.
F. Microwave a pack of gauze and distribute across the body: This method is unsafe because microwaving medical supplies is not a controlled or standardized rewarming method, posing a risk of burns or uneven heating.
G. Administer intravenous fluids with a rapid infuser: Warm IV fluids given rapidly restore circulating volume in trauma clients and also help increase core body temperature, addressing both shock and hypothermia.
H. Use a fluid warmer for intravenous fluids: Actively warming IV fluids before administration is a safe and effective method to prevent further heat loss and correct hypothermia in critically ill clients.
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