Patient Data

Exhibits

The nurse administered tPA and conducted neurologic assessments every 15 minutes during the infusion. The tPA infusion finished and the nurse performed neurologic assessments every 30 minutes for the 6 hours following the administration. The client was noted to be stable with unchanged neurologic assessments. The nurse begins to plan care for the client's recovery and identifies interdisciplinary team members who can assist with the client's recovery.

What interdisciplinary team member(s) should assist the client in recovery? Select all that apply.

A. Teach the client how to count carbohydrates - Non-urgent. While essential for long- term management of diabetes, carbohydrate counting is not immediately critical in the acute management phase of HHS in the ICU. This teaching should be delayed until the patient is stabilized.
B. Stop the insulin infusion - Contraindicated. Stopping insulin in a patient with HHS, which is characterized by severe hyperglycemia, would be harmful. Insulin therapy is critical to reduce blood glucose levels safely.

C. Decrease the frequency of blood glucose tests - Contraindicated. Frequent monitoring is crucial in managing HHS, especially when insulin therapy is being administered, to prevent hypoglycemia and to monitor the effectiveness of treatment.
D. Start the client on a regular diet - Contraindicated. Introducing a regular diet during the acute phase of HHS could exacerbate the hyperglycemia. Nutritional needs should be assessed and managed carefully, typically starting with IV fluids and gradually transitioning to enteral or oral feeding as the patient stabilizes.
E. Decrease the insulin IV infusion to 0.05 units/kg/hr- Indicated. As blood sugar levels decrease, the insulin infusion rate may be cautiously reduced to prevent hypoglycemia.

To calculate the dosage of lorazepam for the client, first determine the total micrograms required by multiplying the client's weight in kilograms by the prescribed amount per kilogram. For a client weighing 65 kg prescribed 44 mcg/kg, the total dosage would be 65 kg x 44 mcg/kg, which equals 2860 mcg. Since the medication is available in a concentration of 2 mg/ml, convert the total dosage from micrograms to milligrams by dividing by 1000 (because there are 1000 micrograms in a milligram). This results in 2.86 mg. Finally, to find out how many milliliters to administer, divide the total milligrams needed by the concentration of the vial, which is 2 mg/ml. Therefore, 2.86 mg / 2 mg/ml equals 1.43 ml. When rounding to the nearest tenth, the nurse should administer 1.4 ml of lorazepam.