Author Question: The patient with diabetes is also taking ephedrine to treat asthma that causes her blood sugar to ... (Read 62 times)

laurencescou · **on:** Jul 23, 2018

The patient with diabetes is also taking ephedrine to treat asthma that causes her blood sugar to increase. The patient asks the nurse, Why does this medication make my blood sugar go up? What is the nurse's best response?

A) The active ingredient in ephedrine is mixed with sugar.
B) Ephedrine is a placebo containing only sugar.
C) Stored glycogen is broken down by ephedrine, which is causing higher blood sugar levels.
D) Insulin is inactivated by ephedrine so it cannot work to control sugar levels.

Question 2

The nurse, working in the emergency room, admits a 13-month-old child reported by the parents to have had a clonictonic seizure at home with no history of a seizure disorder. What is the nurse's priority intervention?

A) Monitor serum phenytoin level.
B) Take the child's temperature.
C) Place the child in a tepid bath.
D) Administer an antipyretic medication.

emilymalinowski12 · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 23, 2018

Answer to Question 1

C
Feedback:
Ephedrine breaks down stored glycogen, which then enters the bloodstream as glucose and causes an increase in serum blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels. Ephedrine is not mixed with sugar and is not a placebo. Ephedrine has no effect on insulin.

Answer to Question 2

B
Feedback:
The first action of the nurse is to measure body temperature to determine whether the child has a fever, which could explain why the seizure occurred. Febrile seizures are common in young children. They are related to very high fevers and usually involve clonictonic seizure. Febrile seizures most frequently occur in children and they are usually self-limited and do not reappear. The nurse would not treat a fever by administering antipyretics or providing a tepid bath until temperature is measured. There would be no reason to check phenytoin levels if the child has no history of seizure disorder.