The nurse is assessing a patient with the following laboratory ...

[Anajune7]

The nurse is assessing a patient with the following laboratory values: sodium 144 mEq/L; potassium 3.8 mEq/L; hemoglobin 8.4 g/dL; glucose 105 mg/dL. Which assessment might correlate with these findings?
 
  1. The nail plate is separate from the nail bed.
  2. The nail folds are inflamed and swollen.
  3. The nail is spoon-shaped.
  4. The nail has a transverse groove.

Question 2

A patient diagnosed with heart failure has 3+ lower extremity edema. Which description most accurately describes this patient's edema?
 
  1. slight pitting, no obvious distortion
  2. deeper pit, no obvious distortion
  3. pit is obvious, extremities are swollen
  4. pit remains with obvious distortion

[tanna.moeller]

Answer to Question 1

Correct Answer: 3
Normal hemoglobin in men is 13.516.5 g/dL. Normal hemoglobin in women is 12.015.0 g/dL. Normal sodium is 135-147 mEq/L. Normal potassium is 3.55.2 mEq/L. A normal glucose is 60110 mg/dL. In this scenario, the patient has normal sodium, potassium, and glucose. The hemoglobin is low. Thin, spoon-shaped nails might be seen with anemia. The other assessments would not correlate with these laboratory values. The nail plate may separate from the nail bed in trauma, psoriasis, and Pseudomonas and Candida infections. Nail grooves may be caused by inflammation, planus, or nail biting. The nail folds become inflamed and swollen and the nail loosens in paronychia, an infection of the nails.

Answer to Question 2

Correct Answer: 3
Edema is the accumulation of fluid in the body's tissues. It can be assessed by depressing the patient's skin. 1+ edema is slight pitting with no obvious distortion. 2+ edema is a deeper pit, but there is no obvious distortion. In 3+ edema, the pit is obvious, and the extremities are swollen. In 4+ edema, the pit remains, with obvious distortion.