A client with type 2 diabetes and hypertension has been prescribed atorvastatin once daily for elevated cholesterol levels. What education should the nurse provide about this medication?
You can expect your urine to turn a dark yellow color while taking atorvastatin
Take atorvastatin at the same time in the evening every day
Avoid consuming grapefruit juice while taking atorvastatin
Report any muscle pain or weakness to your provider immediately
The Correct Answer is D
Choice A reason: Atorvastatin does not typically cause a change in urine color to dark yellow. While patients should report significant changes in urine color, such as dark brown (tea-colored) urine which could indicate myoglobinuria from rhabdomyolysis, dark yellow is not a recognized side effect of this specific HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor.
Choice B reason: While older statins with shorter half-lives were often recommended to be taken at night to align with peak endogenous cholesterol synthesis, atorvastatin has a long half-life and can be taken at any time of day. Consistency is helpful, but evening administration is not a strict clinical requirement.
Choice C reason: While it is true that grapefruit juice can inhibit the cytochrome P450 3A4 enzyme, leading to increased plasma concentrations of certain statins and potential toxicity, reporting muscle pain remains the absolute clinical priority because it serves as an early warning sign of potentially life-threatening rhabdomyolysis.
Choice D reason: Muscle pain or weakness, known as myalgia, is a critical side effect of statin therapy. It can progress to rhabdomyolysis, a severe condition characterized by the breakdown of skeletal muscle fibers and the release of myoglobin into the bloodstream, which can lead to acute renal failure and electrolyte imbalances.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
Choice A reason: The order sheet confirms the physician’s prescription for the blood transfusion, but it does not provide a reliable, real-time method for verifying the specific identity of the patient present at the bedside. Relying solely on orders bypasses the essential safety step of confirming the patient's identity at the point of care.
Choice B reason: The medication administration record is a valuable tool for tracking administered treatments and doses. However, it is a document that can be prone to transcription errors or may not be immediately updated with the specific unique identifying numbers of the current blood product unit being hung for administration at this specific moment.
Choice C reason: The patient identification wristband is the gold standard for bedside verification. It is a permanent, physical identifier directly attached to the patient, ensuring that the blood component, which carries a risk of fatal hemolytic transfusion reactions due to ABO incompatibility, is administered to the correct individual as intended.
Choice D reason: The medical chart contains extensive documentation, including history, physical findings, and laboratory results. While it serves as a comprehensive record, it is not a primary, secure mechanism for verifying patient identity at the bedside during the critical time of blood administration, as it is easily separated from the patient.
Correct Answer is A
Explanation
Choice A reason: Hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and poor nutrition are all modifiable risk factors. These factors can be controlled or significantly mitigated through pharmacological intervention, dietary changes, and lifestyle modifications, thereby reducing the progression of atherosclerosis and the overall risk of developing ischemic coronary artery disease in high-risk populations.
Choice B reason: Ethnicity and age are non-modifiable risk factors. While a sedentary lifestyle is modifiable, the inclusion of ethnicity and age makes this group of factors incorrect. Clinical nursing prioritization focuses on factors that the patient can actively change to improve health outcomes, such as activity levels and diet.
Choice C reason: Race and heredity are non-modifiable genetic risk factors. Chronic kidney disease, while a significant independent risk factor, is a chronic medical condition that is managed rather than simply modified through patient behavior. Therefore, this set is not composed entirely of modifiable lifestyle-related risk factors.
Choice D reason: Gender and heredity are non-modifiable biological and genetic risk factors. Although hypertension is modifiable, the presence of non-modifiable variables renders this choice incorrect. Nursing education regarding risk factor modification must focus exclusively on those areas where patient behavioral and lifestyle interventions can produce measurable clinical improvement.
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