A nursing student sees the nurse dip a pacifier in a sugar-water solution for an infant before administering an intramuscular injection. The nursing student asks why the nurse provided this sugar-water pacifier. The nurse’s appropriate response is: This will:

Choice A reason: This statement is false. Glucose: 88 mg/dL is a normal blood sugar level and does not indicate any problem with fluid or electrolyte balance¹.

Choice B reason: This statement is false. WBCs: 4000 is slightly below the normal range, but not significantly low. It may indicate a mild infection or inflammation, but not a serious fluid or electrolyte imbalance².

Choice C reason: This statement is false. K+: 3.4 mEq/L is slightly below the normal range, but not dangerously low. It may indicate a mild potassium deficiency, which can cause muscle weakness, but not restlessness or agitation.

Choice D reason: This statement is true. Na+: 154 mEq/L is above the normal range and indicates hypernatremia, or high blood sodium level. This can cause dehydration, confusion, restlessness, agitation, and seizures. It is a medical emergency that requires immediate treatment. Continuous tube feedings can increase the risk of hypernatremia if the formula is too concentrated or the fluid intake is inadequate⁵.

Choice A reason: Burning pain and tingling in extremities are not symptoms of autonomic neuropathy, but of peripheral neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy affects the sensory and motor nerves that innervate the skin, muscles, and joints. It can cause pain, numbness, weakness, and loss of sensation in the extremities. Autonomic neuropathy affects the nerves that control the involuntary functions of the body, such as digestion, blood pressure, heart rate, and sweating.

Choice B reason: Nausea and feeling of abdominal fullness are symptoms of autonomic neuropathy, specifically of gastroparesis. Gastroparesis is a condition where the stomach muscles are weakened or paralyzed, and cannot move food properly. It can cause delayed gastric emptying, nausea, vomiting, bloating, early satiety, and poor blood glucose control. Autonomic neuropathy can damage the vagus nerve, which regulates the stomach motility and secretion.

Choice C reason: Elevated blood pressure and delayed capillary refill are not symptoms of autonomic neuropathy, but of cardiovascular problems. Blood pressure is the force of blood against the walls of the arteries, and capillary refill is the time it takes for the color to return to the nail bed after pressing on it. Elevated blood pressure can indicate hypertension, which is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Delayed capillary refill can indicate poor blood circulation, which can be caused by atherosclerosis, peripheral artery disease, or shock. Autonomic neuropathy can affect the blood pressure and heart rate, but usually causes hypotension and tachycardia, not hypertension and delayed capillary refill.

Choice D reason: Increased thirst and excessive urination are not symptoms of autonomic neuropathy, but of diabetes mellitus. Diabetes mellitus is a condition where the body cannot produce or use insulin properly, and the blood glucose level becomes too high. Increased thirst and excessive urination are signs of hyperglycemia, which is a high blood glucose level. Hyperglycemia can cause dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and ketoacidosis. Autonomic neuropathy can be a complication of diabetes mellitus, but it does not cause increased thirst and excessive urination.