During thyroid surgery, the client's parathyroid glands have been damaged. Which condition does the nurse expect the client to develop?
Thyroid cancer
Goiter
Graves' disease
Tetany
The Correct Answer is D
Choice A reason: Thyroid cancer involves malignant thyroid growth, not a consequence of parathyroid damage during surgery, which affects calcium, not cancer risk.
Choice B reason: Goiter is thyroid enlargement from iodine issues or hyperplasia, unrelated to parathyroid damage, which controls calcium, not thyroid size.
Choice C reason: Graves’ disease, hyperthyroidism, results from autoantibodies, not parathyroid injury, which causes hypocalcemia, not thyroid hormone excess.
Choice D reason: Parathyroid damage reduces PTH, dropping calcium levels, leading to tetany—muscle spasms from hypocalcemia, a direct surgical complication.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Choice A reason: 1 tablet (50 mcg) provides half the 100 mcg dose, insufficient for hypothyroidism treatment, underdosing the required thyroid hormone replacement level.
Choice B reason: 2 tablets (50 mcg each) equal 100 mcg, matching the prescribed dose, ensuring adequate T4 replacement for hypothyroidism’s metabolic needs daily.
Choice C reason: 3 tablets (150 mcg) exceed the 100 mcg dose, risking hyperthyroidism symptoms like tachycardia or nervousness from excessive thyroid hormone administration.
Choice D reason: 4 tablets (200 mcg) grossly overdose the 100 mcg requirement, potentially causing severe thyrotoxicosis, disrupting metabolism and cardiac function dangerously.
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Choice A reason: Decreased body temperature reflects hypothyroidism; levothyroxine raises metabolism, normalizing or increasing temperature, so this isn’t a therapeutic response.
Choice B reason: Increased energy occurs as levothyroxine restores thyroid hormone, boosting metabolism, reversing hypothyroidism’s fatigue, a key sign of effective treatment.
Choice C reason: Weight gain contradicts levothyroxine’s effect; it increases metabolism, aiding weight loss or stabilization, not gain, in hypothyroidism treatment.
Choice D reason: Decreased appetite isn’t typical; levothyroxine may normalize appetite as metabolism rises, not suppress it, differing from hypothyroidism’s effects.
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