Author Question: The nurse is providing discharge instructions to a 72-year-old patient who has been discharged home ... (Read 55 times)

jayhills49 · **on:** Jul 23, 2018

The nurse is providing discharge instructions to a 72-year-old patient who has been discharged home on a diuretic. What would the patient's instructions regarding the use of a diuretic at home include?

A) Measuring intake and output of urine
B) To weigh themselves on the same scale, at the same time of day, in the same clothing
C) Restrict fluids to 500 mL/d to limit the need to urinate
D) Decrease exercise to conserve energy

Question 2

The class of diuretics that act to block the chloride pump in the distal convoluted tubules and leads to a loss of sodium and potassium and a minor loss of water is what?

A) Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors
B) Osmotic diuretics
C) Potassium-sparing diuretics
D) Thiazide diuretics

aprice35067 · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 23, 2018

Answer to Question 1

B
Feedback:
Patients taking a diuretic at home need to learn to weigh themselves every day, at the same time, and in the same clothes to monitor for loss or retention of fluid. They should not be asked to measure urine output or to decrease activity. Restricting fluids can lead to a rebound fluid retention when compensatory mechanisms are activated.

Answer to Question 2

D
Feedback:
Thiazide diuretics work to block the chloride pump, which leads to a loss of sodium, potassium, and some water. They are considered mild diuretics. Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors work to block the formation of carbonic acid and bicarbonate in the renal tubules. Osmotic diuretics use hypertonic pull to remove fluid from the intravascular spaces and to deliver large amounts of water into the renal tubules. Potassium-sparing diuretics are mild and act to spare potassium in exchange for the loss of sodium and water.