Which action will the nurse perform first to prevent harm for a client suspected to have fluid overload?
Assessing blood pressure.
Measuring intake and output.
Elevating the head of the bed.
Checking for presence of dependent edema.
The Correct Answer is C
Choice A reason: Assessing blood pressure monitors fluid overload but doesn’t immediately reduce respiratory strain. Elevating the head of the bed improves breathing, making this incorrect, as it’s less urgent than the nurse’s first action to prevent harm from fluid overload.
Choice B reason: Measuring intake and output tracks fluid balance but is less immediate than elevating the bed to ease breathing. This is incorrect, as it delays the nurse’s priority action to alleviate respiratory distress in a client with suspected fluid overload.
Choice C reason: Elevating the head of the bed is the first action to reduce respiratory distress in fluid overload by decreasing venous return. This aligns with acute care priorities, making it the correct action to prevent harm in the client with suspected hypervolemia.
Choice D reason: Checking for dependent edema confirms fluid overload but doesn’t address immediate respiratory risks. Elevating the bed is urgent, making this incorrect, as it’s secondary to the nurse’s first action to improve breathing in the fluid-overloaded client.
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Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is D
Explanation
Choice A reason: Checking urinary specific gravity monitors DI control but is less critical than detecting fluid retention from desmopressin, which can cause hyponatremia. Daily weighing identifies weight gain, making this incorrect, as it’s secondary to the nurse’s priority teaching on preventing serious drug-related complications.
Choice B reason: Monitoring blood pressure is relevant for cardiovascular health but not the primary concern with desmopressin, which risks fluid overload. Daily weighing detects this, making this incorrect, as it’s less specific than the nurse’s teaching to monitor for weight gain in DI treatment.
Choice C reason: Blood glucose monitoring is unrelated to desmopressin or DI, which affects water balance, not glucose. Weighing daily addresses fluid retention, making this incorrect, as it’s irrelevant compared to the nurse’s priority teaching on managing desmopressin’s fluid-related side effects in DI.
Choice D reason: Daily weighing and reporting weight gain is the priority teaching, as desmopressin can cause fluid retention, leading to hyponatremia. This aligns with DI therapy safety, making it the correct teaching to prevent complications, ensuring the client monitors for this critical adverse effect of desmopressin.
Correct Answer is A
Explanation
Choice A reason: Distended neck veins in the sitting position indicate worsening hypervolemia, reflecting increased venous pressure and heart strain. This aligns with cardiovascular assessment, making it the correct finding the nurse would identify as a sign of deteriorating fluid overload in the client.
Choice B reason: Breath sounds in the right lower lobe are normal unless crackles indicate fluid. Distended neck veins are more specific to worsening hypervolemia, making this incorrect, as it’s not a clear sign of deterioration in the nurse’s fluid status assessment.
Choice C reason: Unchanged weight doesn’t indicate worsening hypervolemia, which causes weight gain. Distended neck veins signal increased fluid, making this incorrect, as it’s not a dynamic finding compared to the nurse’s assessment of worsening fluid overload in the client.
Choice D reason: Yellow-tinged nose and ears suggest jaundice, not hypervolemia. Distended neck veins are a direct sign of worsening fluid status, making this incorrect, as it’s unrelated to the nurse’s evaluation of deteriorating hypervolemia in the client’s condition.
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