While changing the dressing of a client who is immobile, the practical nurse (PN) observes a red and swollen wound with a moderate amount of yellow and green drainage and a foul odor. Before reporting this finding to the healthcare provider, the PN should evaluate which of the client's laboratory values?

This is the best intervention for the PN to implement because it relieves the muscle spasm and reduces the pain of a leg cramp. Leg cramps are common during pregnancy and labor due to changes in calcium levels, fluid balance, or pressure on nerves and blood vessels.

A. Massaging the calf and foot is not recommended because it may increase pain or cause injury to the muscle or nerve.

C. Checking the pedal pulse in the affected leg is not necessary unless there is a suspicion of vascular compromise or thrombosis, which are unlikely causes of a leg cramp.

D. Elevating the leg above the heart is not helpful because it may impair blood flow or increase pressure on the nerve or muscle.

Troponin I and CK-MB are cardiac enzymes that are released into the bloodstream when the heart muscle is injured or necrotic. Elevated levels of these enzymes indicate that the client has suffered a myocardial infarction (MI) or heart attack. The damaged heart tissue can impair the electrical conduction system of the heart and cause abnormal heart rhythms or dysrhythmias, which can be life-threatening. The PN should monitor the client's cardiac status closely and report any changes to the charge nurse.

The other options are not correct because:

B. The client is not at risk for pulmonary embolism, which is a blockage of a pulmonary artery by a blood clot or other material. Pulmonary embolism does not cause elevated cardiac enzymes, but it can cause chest pain, shortness of breath, and hypoxia.

C. The client is not at risk for recurrent long-term angina pain, which is chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart muscle due to narrowed or blocked coronary arteries. Angina pain does not cause elevated cardiac enzymes, but it can be a warning sign of an impending MI.

D. The lab results do not indicate risk factors for transient ischemic attack (TIA), which is a temporary interruption of blood flow to a part of the brain due to a clot or plaque. TIA does not cause elevated cardiac enzymes, but it can cause neurological symptoms such as weakness, numbness, or speech difficulties.