The nurse recognizes that the patient is displaying symptoms associated with which of the following?
An 82-year-old woman was brought to the emergency department by her granddaughter. She is a widow and lives alone, although her granddaughter checks on her daily. She has been vomiting for 2 days and has not been able to eat or drink anything during this time. She has not urinated for 12 hours. Physical examination reveals the following: T = 99.6F (37.6C) orally; P = 110 weak and thready; BP = 80/52. Her skin and mucous membranes are dry, and there is decreased skin turgor. The patient states that she feels very weak. The following are her laboratory results:
Sodium 138 mEq/l
Potassium 3.7 mEq/l
Calcium 9.2 mg/dl
Magnesium 1.8 mg/dl
Chloride 99 mEq/l
BUN 29 mg/dl
1) Hypovolemia
2) Hypervolemia
3) Hypernatremia
4) Hyponatremia
Question 2
Which laboratory results on a client's health record should alert the nurse to a potential problem?
1) Na+ = 137 mEq/l
2) K+ = 5.2 mEq/l
3) Ca2+ = 9.2 mg/dl
4) Mg2+ = 1.8 mg/dl
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