A client receives a prescription for vancomycin 500 mg IV every 8 hours. The medication is provided in "500 mg per 100 ml" of dextrose 5% in water.
To administer the medication over an hour, the nurse should set the infusion pump to deliver how many mL/hr?

Choice A rationale:

Incorrect. Open-angle glaucoma is not characterized by an abnormally small angle.

The angle in open-angle glaucoma is open, but the drainage system is not working properly. Therefore, restoring a smaller angle would not be an effective treatment goal.

Choice B rationale:

Incorrect. Eye drops used to treat open-angle glaucoma are not typically used for pain control.

While some individuals may experience mild discomfort associated with elevated eye pressure, pain is not a common symptom of open-angle glaucoma.

Additionally, eye drops used to treat glaucoma do not have anti-inflammatory properties to address swelling.

Choice C rationale:

Incorrect. While reducing excess eye pressure is an important initial goal of treatment, long-term management of open-angle glaucoma requires ongoing maintenance of normal eye pressure.

Simply reducing pressure temporarily is not sufficient to prevent vision loss.

Choice D rationale:

Correct. The primary goal of treatment for open-angle glaucoma is to maintain normal eye pressure over the long term. This is because elevated eye pressure can damage the optic nerve, leading to vision loss.

Eye drops are often used to lower eye pressure, and they typically need to be used for life to prevent vision loss.

Choice A rationale:

Carbon dioxide is primarily eliminated through the lungs, not the kidneys. While the kidneys do play a role in acid-base balance, their primary mechanism for regulating pH is through the excretion or retention of bicarbonate ions (HCO3-), not carbon dioxide itself.

The kidneys' ability to compensate for respiratory acidosis is limited. In cases of severe respiratory acidosis, the kidneys may not be able to adequately compensate, leading to a further decrease in blood pH.

Choice B rationale:

Hyperventilation would actually decrease carbon dioxide levels in the blood, not increase them. Hyperventilation is a state of rapid, deep breathing that leads to increased exhalation of carbon dioxide. This can result in respiratory alkalosis, which is the opposite of respiratory acidosis.

Choice D rationale:

Low blood oxygen levels (hypoxia) can stimulate respiration, but this would not directly cause respiratory acidosis. In fact, hypoxia can sometimes lead to respiratory alkalosis due to hyperventilation.

Respiratory acidosis is primarily caused by impaired carbon dioxide elimination, not decreased oxygen levels.

Choice C rationale:

High levels of carbon dioxide in the blood (hypercapnia) are the hallmark feature of respiratory acidosis. This can occur due to a variety of factors that impair ventilation, such as:

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Asthma

Pneumonia Sleep apnea

Neuromuscular disorders that affect breathing Drug overdose (e.g., opioids)

The accumulation of carbon dioxide in the blood leads to a decrease in blood pH, which can have a range of negative effects on the body's organ systems.