A nurse is providing care to a patient diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia who has been prescribed iron supplements. Which information should the nurse include in the education regarding medication therapy?

Choice A reason: CPTT (likely a typo for aPTT, activated partial thromboplastin time) measures clotting time in the intrinsic pathway, used to monitor heparin therapy. It does not detect protein fragments from fibrinolysis. In DVT, aPTT is normal unless anticoagulation is involved, making it unhelpful for detecting fibrin degradation products.

Choice B reason: INR (international normalized ratio) assesses the extrinsic clotting pathway, primarily for warfarin monitoring. It does not measure fibrin degradation products like D-dimer. In DVT, INR is typically normal unless the patient is on anticoagulants, so it is not useful for confirming fibrinolysis or diagnosing DVT.

Choice C reason: Impedance plethysmography is a non-invasive test measuring blood flow changes in veins, used to detect DVT by identifying obstructions. It does not measure protein fragments or fibrinolysis products. It assesses physical blood flow, not biochemical markers, making it irrelevant for detecting fibrin degradation in DVT.

Choice D reason: D-dimer is a specific test for fibrin degradation products, elevated in DVT due to fibrinolysis of clots. A high D-dimer indicates active clot breakdown, supporting DVT diagnosis. It is sensitive but not specific, requiring imaging confirmation, but it directly addresses the question of detecting protein fragments from fibrinolysis.

Choice A reason: Redness of the anus is a local response to irritation from frequent diarrhea in gastroenteritis, not a systemic response. Systemic responses involve the whole body, like fever, driven by cytokine release. Anal redness is a localized tissue reaction, not reflective of the broader inflammatory process in this infection.

Choice B reason: Stomatitis, or mouth inflammation, is not a systemic response to gastroenteritis. It may occur in specific infections (e.g., herpes) but is not typical in gastroenteritis, which primarily affects the intestines, causing diarrhea and dehydration. Systemic responses involve fever or leukocytosis, not localized oral inflammation, making this choice incorrect.

Choice C reason: Intestinal inflammation is a local response in gastroenteritis, causing diarrhea and abdominal pain. Systemic responses, like fever, result from cytokines (e.g., IL-1, IL-6) released during infection, affecting the entire body. Intestinal inflammation is the primary pathology, not a systemic effect, so this does not fit the question’s focus.

Choice D reason: Increased body temperature (fever) is a systemic response to gastroenteritis, triggered by cytokines (e.g., IL-1, TNF) released during infection. These signal the hypothalamus to raise body temperature, enhancing immune response. The patient’s feeling of warmth aligns with fever, a common systemic manifestation of inflammatory infections like gastroenteritis.