The nurse assessed a client with a toxic level of medication with a half-life of 2 hours. The current toxic level is 40 mEq/dL. The normal range for the medication is 5-10 mEq/L. How many hours will it take for the medication to reach the normal range?
25 hours
24 hours
2 hours
4 hours
The Correct Answer is A
The half-life of a medication is the time it takes for the concentration of the medication in the body to decrease by half. In this case, the medication has a half-life of 2 hours and a current toxic level of 40 mEq/dL. After 2 hours, the level will decrease to 20 mEq/dL. After another 2 hours (4 hours total), the level will decrease to 10 mEq/dL, which is within the normal range. However, it will take another 21 half-lives (42 hours) for the level to reach 5 mEq/dL, which is the lower end of the normal range. Therefore, it will take a total of 25 hours (4 + 21) for the medication to reach the normal range.
Option B is incorrect because it would take much longer than 24 hours for the medication to reach the normal range.
Option C is incorrect because it would only take 2 hours for the medication to decrease by half, not reach the normal range.
Option D is incorrect because it would take longer than 4 hours for the medication to reach the normal range.
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Correct Answer is D
Explanation
Intravenous (IV) administration of medication involves injecting the medication directly into a vein. This route of administration has the most rapid onset of action because the medication is delivered directly into the bloodstream and can be quickly distributed throughout the body.
Options a, b, and c are not correct because they do not have as rapid an onset of action as intravenous administration. Sublingual administration involves placing the medication under the tongue, where it is absorbed into the bloodstream through the mucous membranes. Intradermal administration involves injecting the medication into the top layer of the skin. Subcutaneous administration involves injecting the medication into the fat tissue just under the skin. While these routes can be effective for delivering medication, they do not have as rapid an onset of action as intravenous administration.
Correct Answer is D
Explanation
According to web search results, the total phenytoin reference range for children and adults is **10-20 µg/mL**¹. This means that a level of 17 mcg/mL falls within the therapeutic range.
Option A is within the therapeutic range but is on the lower end.
Option B is below the therapeutic range.
Option C is above the therapeutic range and could be considered toxic.
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