The client has been diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Which of the following lab values should the nurse monitor to assess for renal function?

Serum creatinine is a waste product that comes from muscle activity and is normally removed by the kidneys.

When the kidneys are damaged, the serum creatinine level rises.

The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is a measure of how well the kidneys are filtering the blood and it is calculated from the serum creatinine level.

A normal GFR is 60 or more, while a GFR below 60 may indicate kidney disease.

Therefore, monitoring the serum creatinine level and the GFR can help assess the renal function in CKD.

Choice A is wrong because blood glucose level is not a direct indicator of renal function, although high blood glucose can damage the kidneys over time.

Choice C is wrong because serum albumin level is not a specific marker of renal function, although low serum albumin can be caused by protein loss in the urine due to kidney damage.

Choice D is wrong because white blood cell count is not related to renal function, but rather to immune system activity and infection.

Normal ranges for serum creatinine are 0.6 to 1.2 mg/dL for men and 0.5 to 1.1 mg/dL for women.

Normal ranges for GFR are 90 to 120 mL/min.

Normal ranges for serum albumin are 3.4 to 5.4 g/dL1.

Normal ranges for white blood cell count are 4,000 to 11,000 cells per microliter.

This is because acute renal failure is a condition where the kidneys lose their ability to filter waste and excess fluid from the blood. This can lead to fluid overload, electrolyte imbalances, and metabolic acidosis. Therefore, the nurse should monitor the patient’s urine output and fluid balance to assess the severity of the renal impairment and prevent complications.

Choice A is wrong because administering a potassium-sparing diuretic would worsen the patient’s hyperkalemia, which is a common complication of acute renal failure.

Choice B is wrong because encouraging the patient to consume a high-sodium diet would increase the patient’s fluid retention and blood pressure, which can further damage the kidneys.

Choice D is wrong because administering intravenous antibiotics is not a priority intervention for acute renal failure unless there is a specific indication of infection.