Author Question: A child with a growth hormone deficiency will be receiving daily subcutaneous injections of a ... (Read 54 times)

audie · **on:** Jun 27, 2018

A child with a growth hormone deficiency will be receiving daily subcutaneous injections of a biosynthetic growth hormone. The parents are being trained to administer the injections. It is important for the nurse to instruct the parents to:

1. Avoid cleaning the area with alcohol before giving the injection.
2. Use only the leg for injections.
3. Delay giving the injection by one day if the child becomes upset.
4. Rotate the injections sites daily.

Question 2

The nurse is caring for an adolescent who has just returned to his room after a thyroidectomy. Which of the following indicates complications and should be reported immediately to the physician?

1. Lethargy
2. Feelings of tightness in the throat, hoarseness, and stridor
3. Facial edema
4. Acute neck pain

GCabra · **Reply #1 on:** Jun 27, 2018

Answer to Question 1

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1. The area should be cleansed with alcohol.
2. Lipoatrophy can occur at injection sites; therefore, the sites should be rotated between the arms, lateral thighs, abdomen, and buttocks.
3. Establishing a set time for the injection can create a routine and decrease anxiety for the child.
4. Lipoatrophy can occur at injection sites; therefore, the sites should be rotated between the arms, lateral thighs, abdomen, and buttocks. The injection should be given at the same time each day so a routine can be established. This minimizes the trauma of receiving daily injections. Delaying giving the injection will only heighten the child's anxiety.

Answer to Question 2

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1. Not a sign of complications from a thyroidectomy
2. It is normal for a post-operative child to have lethargy. Because the surgery involves the neck, facial edema and acute neck pain are also noted post-operatively. An emergent situation would include feelings of tightness in the throat, hoarseness, and stridor. There symptoms would indicate an inability to breath, leading to impaired gas exchange and respiratory distress.
3. The face is not associated with the surgery.
4. The pain can be a sign, but not an emergent complication.