A nurse is caring for a 2-month-old infant. Which of the following findings should the nurse report to the provider?

A. Promoting nutrition: While nutrition is important, preventing infections is more urgent in a preschooler with leukemia. Leukemia and its treatments, such as chemotherapy, can significantly weaken the immune system, making the child more susceptible to infections.
B. Preventing infections: Preventing infections is critical for children with leukemia because their immune systems are compromised, either by the disease itself or by treatments like chemotherapy. Educating the guardians on how to prevent infections (e.g., hand hygiene, avoiding crowds, keeping the environment clean) is crucial to avoid serious complications.
C. Supporting psychological wellness: While psychological support is important, the priority for a preschooler with leukemia is to focus on preventing infections and ensuring their physical well-being, as infections can lead to severe consequences.
D. Managing mucosal ulcerations: Mucosal ulcerations can be a concern for children undergoing cancer treatment, but preventing infections is a more immediate and potentially life-saving priority. Once infections are controlled, mucosal ulcerations can also be addressed.

Rationale for Correct Choices:

• Seizures: The adolescent’s fever, headache, photophobia, and neck stiffness (resistance to flexion) are consistent with signs of meningitis, which can lead to seizures, especially in the setting of increased intracranial pressure. Seizures are a known complication of untreated or severe meningitis.
• Signs of meningeal irritation: The adolescent demonstrates classic signs of meningeal irritation, such as photophobia, severe headache, and neck stiffness, which suggest inflammation of the meninges. This is a key indicator of potential meningitis and the associated risk of seizures.

Rationale for Incorrect Choices:

• Lyme disease: While Lyme disease can cause neurological symptoms, including headache and fever, the absence of a characteristic erythema migrans rash or recent tick exposure makes it less likely.
• Constipation: Constipation is not a likely complication given the adolescent's current symptoms, which are focused on fever, headache, and neurological signs. It does not explain the risk for seizures.
• Mononucleosis: Although mononucleosis can cause fever and malaise, it typically does not present with neck stiffness, photophobia, or the acute onset of severe headache that is suggestive of meningitis. The symptoms in this case are more concerning for meningitis.
• Pneumonia: Pneumonia is unlikely given the absence of respiratory findings such as cough or difficulty breathing. The symptoms are more consistent with a central nervous system infection, like meningitis, than a respiratory infection.
• Fever: While fever is present in meningitis, it alone does not indicate the risk for seizures. It is the combination of fever, headache, photophobia, and meningeal signs that increases the risk for complications like seizures.
• Inability to eat and drink: The inability to eat and drink is likely a result of nausea and vomiting, which is common in many illnesses, including meningitis. However, it is not a direct indicator of the risk for seizures, which is more strongly linked to meningeal irritation.
• Respiratory findings: There are no significant respiratory symptoms, such as difficulty breathing or abnormal lung sounds, making respiratory findings irrelevant in this case. The adolescent’s symptoms are primarily neurological.