A nurse is reviewing the laboratory results of a client who is in pre-term labor and has received indomethacin.

Which of the following findings should the nurse monitor for as a potential complication of the medication?

Tocolytics are a category of drugs used to delay the labor process.These may be used in situations when a pregnant person begins showing signs of preterm labor —which is any time before 37 weeks of completed pregnancy.Tocolytics may help delay labor by two to seven days.

Some possible explanations for the other choices are:

• Choice A. Administering intravenous fluids.

This is not a correct answer because intravenous fluids are not effective in suppressing uterine contractions.They may be used to correct dehydration or electrolyte imbalance, which can sometimes trigger preterm labor, but they are not a primary intervention for preterm labor.

• Choice C. Administering corticosteroids.

This is not a correct answer because corticosteroids are not tocolytics.They do not stop or slow down uterine contractions, but they help accelerate fetal lung maturity and reduce the risk of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome and other complications of prematurity.

Corticosteroids are often given along with tocolytics, but they have a different function and mechanism of action.

• Choice D. Administering antibiotics.

This is not a correct answer because antibiotics are not tocolytics.They may be used to treat infections that can cause or complicate preterm labor, such as chorioamnionitis or group B streptococcus, but they do not directly affect uterine contractions.

Antibiotics may be given along with tocolytics, but they have a different function.

According to the search results, magnesium sulfate can have a negative effect on the fetal heart rate (FHR) by lowering the baseline, decreasing the variability, and reducing the reactivity or acceleration pattern.Absent variability means that there is no fluctuation in the FHR and it indicates fetal hypoxia or acidosis.

This is a potential adverse effect of magnesium sulfate on the fetus and requires immediate intervention.

Choice A.Accelerations is wrong because accelerations are transient increases in the FHR that indicate fetal well-being.They are not affected by magnesium sulfate.

Choice B.Early decelerations is wrong because early decelerations are decreases in the FHR that occur with uterine contractions and are caused by fetal head compression.They are benign and do not indicate fetal distress.They are not associated with magnesium sulfate.

Choice C.Variable decelerations is wrong because variable decelerations are abrupt decreases in the FHR that vary in shape, duration, and timing and are caused by umbilical cord compression.

They may or may not indicate fetal compromise.