Author Question: A nurse is teaching a patient about his or her newly prescribed drug, phenytoin (Dilantin) for a ... (Read 58 times)

corkyiscool3328 · **on:** Jul 23, 2018

A nurse is teaching a patient about his or her newly prescribed drug, phenytoin (Dilantin) for a seizure disorder. What will the nurse alert the patient to as a serious adverse effect of this drug?

A) Drowsiness
B) Fatigue
C) Rash
D) Lethargy

Question 2

The nurse is caring for a patient receiving an antineoplastic medication who reports fever, chills, sore throat, weakness, and back pain. What type of adverse effect does the nurse suspect this patient is experiencing?

A) Dermatologic reaction
B) Blood dyscrasia
C) Electrolyte imbalance
D) Superinfection

chevyboi1976 · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 23, 2018

Answer to Question 1

C
Feedback:
Serious liver, bone marrow, and potentially serious dermatological adverse effects can occur with phenytoin. Drowsiness, fatigue, and lethargy are adverse effects of hydantoins and classified as not serious.

Answer to Question 2

B
Feedback:
Symptoms of blood dyscrasias include fever, chills, sore throat, weakness, back pain, dark urine, decreased hematocrit (anemia), low platelet count (thrombocytopenia), low white blood cell count (leukopenia), and a reduction of all cellular elements of the complete blood count (pancytopenia). Dermatologic reactions would be reflected in skin alterations, electrolyte imbalances would result in differing symptoms depending on the electrolyte involved but would not cause chills and fever, and a superinfection could cause a fever but would not cause a sore throat, weakness, or back pain unless the infection involved those body parts.