The nurse is caring for a 13-year-old diagnosed with sickle cell anemia. The client asks the nurse what they can do to help prevent sickle cell crisis. What would be an appropriate answer to this client?

Reasoning:

Choice A reason: Offering large quantities of liquids frequently increases aspiration risk in clients with dysphagia from neurological disorders. Large volumes can overwhelm swallowing mechanisms, leading to choking or pneumonia. Controlled, small sips with proper positioning are safer to ensure nutrition without compromising airway safety.

Choice B reason: Allowing physical activity before meals may improve appetite but does not address swallowing difficulties. Activity does not facilitate safe swallowing in neurological disorders, where muscle coordination is impaired. Proper positioning and pacing during feeding are more effective to prevent aspiration and ensure nutritional intake.

Choice C reason: Helping the client sit upright and feeding slowly minimizes aspiration risk in neurological dysphagia. Upright positioning aligns the airway to prevent food or liquid entry, and slow feeding allows better coordination of swallowing muscles, reducing choking and ensuring adequate nutrition, critical for safe intake.

Choice D reason: Instructing the client to lie down while eating is dangerous in dysphagia, as it increases aspiration risk. Lying down allows food or liquids to enter the airway, potentially causing pneumonia. Upright positioning is essential to facilitate safe swallowing and prevent complications in neurological disorders.

Reasoning:

Choice A reason: Recent blood donation is not a primary cause of secondary polycythemia, which results from chronic hypoxia or erythropoietin excess, not blood loss. Donation may temporarily reduce red blood cell count, but it does not drive the increased erythropoiesis seen in secondary polycythemia, making it less relevant.

Choice B reason: A history of venous thromboembolism is a consequence, not a cause, of secondary polycythemia. Increased red blood cell mass elevates blood viscosity, raising clotting risk, but thromboembolism does not trigger polycythemia. The nurse should assess for underlying causes like hypoxia, not its complications.

Choice C reason: Evidence of lung disease is critical to assess, as secondary polycythemia is often caused by chronic hypoxia from conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Low oxygen levels stimulate erythropoietin production, increasing red blood cell mass to enhance oxygen delivery, making lung disease a primary factor to evaluate.

Choice D reason: Impaired renal function is not a primary cause of secondary polycythemia. While kidneys produce erythropoietin, renal disease typically causes anemia due to reduced erythropoietin. Rarely, renal tumors may increase erythropoietin, but lung disease is a more common driver of secondary polycythemia in clinical practice.