A nurse is evaluating the laboratory report for a client who has severe diarrhea and a fever. Which of the following laboratory findings should the nurse identify as an indication that the client has a parasitic infection rather than a bacterial infection?

The correct answer is: c. Prepare the client for intubation.

Choice A: Prepare to administer a vasopressor

Reason: Vasopressors are typically used to manage hypotension (low blood pressure) and are not a standard treatment for myasthenic crisis. Myasthenic crisis primarily involves respiratory muscle weakness, which can lead to respiratory failure, rather than issues with blood pressure.

Choice B: Administer an anticholinesterase medication

Reason: While anticholinesterase medications like pyridostigmine are used to manage myasthenia gravis, they are generally not recommended during a myasthenic crisis. During a crisis, the focus is on stabilizing the patient, often requiring more immediate interventions such as intubation and mechanical ventilation.

Choice C: Prepare the client for intubation

Reason: Intubation is a critical intervention in a myasthenic crisis due to the risk of respiratory failure. The crisis is characterized by severe muscle weakness, including the muscles that control breathing. Intubation ensures that the airway is protected and that the patient can receive adequate ventilation.

Choice D: Instruct the client to perform pursed lip breathing

Reason: Pursed lip breathing is a technique used to improve breathing efficiency in conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, it is not appropriate for managing a myasthenic crisis, where the primary issue is severe muscle weakness leading to respiratory failure.

Choice A reason: This choice is incorrect. A stroke involving the right cerebral hemisphere typically affects the left side of the body and can cause problems with spatial and perceptual abilities, not necessarily with language or discrimination of words and letters, which are more commonly associated with left hemisphere strokes⁸.

Choice B reason: Motor retardation is not specific to right hemisphere strokes. While right hemisphere strokes can cause weakness on the left side of the body, the term 'motor retardation' is not commonly used to describe this symptom⁸.

Choice C reason: This choice is incorrect because deficits in the right visual field would suggest a problem with the left cerebral hemisphere, not the right. A right hemisphere stroke typically causes problems with the left visual field⁸.

Choice D reason: This is the correct choice. Individuals with right hemisphere strokes may exhibit poor impulse control, as the right hemisphere is involved in judgment and behavior regulation⁸.