A nurse is caring for a client who has a sodium level of 120 mEq/L. Which solution should the nurse prepare to infuse for this client?

Choice A reason: Administering medications that promote fluid retention, like vasopressin, worsens hypervolemia by increasing water reabsorption, exacerbating edema and hypertension. This is contraindicated, as the goal is fluid removal, making this an incorrect intervention for managing excess fluid volume in hypervolemia.

Choice B reason: Administering diuretics is the priority in hypervolemia, promoting renal excretion of excess fluid, reducing edema, pulmonary congestion, and hypertension. Diuretics like furosemide correct fluid overload, preventing complications like heart failure exacerbation, making this the most critical intervention for immediate fluid management.

Choice C reason: Encouraging increased fluid intake worsens hypervolemia by adding to excess fluid, increasing pulmonary edema and heart failure risks. The goal is to remove fluid, not add it, making this inappropriate compared to diuretics, which directly address fluid overload in this condition.

Choice D reason: Monitoring daily weights tracks fluid status but is not an intervention. While useful for assessing treatment response, it does not reduce fluid volume like diuretics, which prevent complications, making weight monitoring a supportive, not primary, action in hypervolemia management.

Choice A reason: A Jackson-Pratt drain removes serous fluid and blood from the surgical site, preventing seromas, hematomas, or infections. By maintaining a closed suction system, it promotes wound healing and reduces complications, making this the primary purpose of the JP drain in postoperative care.

Choice B reason: While a JP drain may remove small amounts of blood, its primary purpose is preventing fluid accumulation, not limiting bleeding. Bleeding control is managed intraoperatively or with other measures, making this a secondary, less accurate purpose of the drain compared to fluid prevention.

Choice C reason: A JP drain is not used for medication administration. It is a closed suction system designed to remove fluid from the surgical site to prevent complications. Medications are given via other routes (e.g., IV), making this an incorrect description of the drain’s purpose.

Choice D reason: A JP drain does not eliminate the need for wound irrigations, which clean wounds directly. The drain prevents fluid buildup in closed surgical sites, reducing infection risk, but it does not replace irrigation, which addresses different wound care needs, making this choice incorrect.