The nurse continues to care for the client.

Exhibits

For each assessment finding, click to specify if the finding is consistent with psychosis or mania. Each finding may support more than one diagnosis.

A. Heart rate. The client’s heart rate decreased from 110/min on postpartum day 3 to 78/min on day 5, returning to normal resting range, which suggests improvement in systemic inflammation or infection, and better overall hemodynamic stability.
B. Temperature. The temperature has decreased from 38.6° C (101.5° F) to 37.1° C (98.9° F), which is within normal limits. This reduction is a key indicator of resolving infection or inflammation, especially considering the earlier febrile response.
C. Lochia. Lochia has improved from a moderate, foul-smelling, dark brown discharge to a small amount of brownish-red lochia with no odor, which suggests infection resolution and appropriate progression of postpartum uterine involution.
D. Hgb. The client’s hemoglobin dropped from 11.1 g/dL to 10 g/dL, which is below the normal postpartum range. This is likely due to ongoing recovery, recent surgery, and fluid shifts, but it does not indicate improvement and may require continued monitoring.
E. WBC count. The WBC count normalized from a significantly elevated 33,000/mm³ to 10,000/mm³, which is within the normal reference range. This is a strong sign that the infection or inflammatory response is resolving.
F. Fundal height. The fundus has decreased from 1 cm above the umbilicus on day 3 to 4 cm below on day 5, which is consistent with normal involution of the uterus during the postpartum period and is a positive sign of recovery.

A. Widening pulse pressure. This is typically associated with conditions like increased intracranial pressure or severe aortic regurgitation, not cardiac tamponade. Tamponade usually results in narrowed pulse pressure.
B. Coarse lung sounds. These may indicate fluid overload or pulmonary congestion, but they are not specific to cardiac tamponade and occur later or in different conditions.
C. Muffled heart sounds. This is a classic early sign of cardiac tamponade, caused by fluid accumulation in the pericardial sac, which dampens heart sounds on auscultation. It is part of Beck’s triad (muffled heart sounds, hypotension, and jugular vein distention).
D. Decreased jugular vein distention. In cardiac tamponade, jugular vein distention increases due to impaired venous return to the heart. Decreased JVD would be an unexpected finding in this condition.