Author Question: A nurse reviews an immobilized patient's laboratory results and discovers hypercalcemia. Which ... (Read 70 times)

ss2343 · **on:** Jul 22, 2018

A nurse reviews an immobilized patient's laboratory results and discovers hypercalcemia. Which condition will the nurse monitor for most closely in this patient?

a. Hypostatic pneumonia
b. Renal calculi
c. Pressure ulcers
d. Thrombus formation

Question 2

A nurse is caring for an immobile patient. Which metabolic alteration will the nurse monitor for in this patient?

a. Increased appetite
b. Increased diarrhea
c. Increased metabolic rate
d. Altered nutrient metabolism

tandmlomax84 · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 22, 2018

Answer to Question 1

ANS: B
Renal calculi are calcium stones that lodge in the renal pelvis or pass through the ureters. Immobilized patients are at risk for calculi because they frequently have hypercalcemia. Hypercalcemia does not lead to hypostatic pneumonia, pressure ulcers, or thrombus formation. Immobility is one cause of hypostatic pneumonia, which is inflammation of the lung from stasis or pooling of secretions. A pressure ulcer is an impairment of the skin that results from prolonged ischemia (decreased blood supply) within tissues. A thrombus is an accumulation of platelets, fibrin, clotting factors, and cellular elements of the blood attached to the interior wall of a vein or artery, which sometimes occludes the lumen of the vessel.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: D
Immobility disrupts normal metabolic functioning: decreasing the metabolic rate, altering the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins; causing fluid, electrolyte, and calcium imbalances; and causing gastrointestinal disturbances such as decreased appetite and slowing of peristalsis, leading to constipation.