Your client requires KCL 10 mEq PO BID for hypokalemia. KCL 20 mEq per 30 mL is available. How many mL should the nurse administer? (Please Show All Work on Provided scrap paper, enter numerical value only. Do not enter unit of measurement).

 

A. Administer the pain mediation around the clock if necessary: For chronic cancer pain, "around the clock" (ATC) dosing maintains a steady therapeutic plasma concentration of the analgesic. This prevents the "cycling" of pain and the difficult task of treating breakthrough pain after it has become severe. Steady-state dosing improves overall quality of life.

B. Initiate techniques to limit the amount of opioids administered: In terminal or metastatic cancer care, the priority is effective palliation and comfort rather than preventing opioid dependence or limiting dosages. Fear of addiction should not impede the administration of adequate analgesia for patients with life-limiting malignancies and severe pain.

C. Administer the analgesic promptly as soon as the client's pain becomes severe: Waiting for pain to become severe before medicating makes it much harder to achieve relief and often requires higher total doses. This "PRN" approach is less effective for chronic, persistent pain than a proactive, scheduled dosing regimen.

D. Administer medications intravenously for greater duration of the drug's effectiveness: The intravenous route actually has the shortest duration of action due to rapid distribution and elimination. For chronic pain, oral or transdermal routes are preferred as they provide a more sustained and long-lasting analgesic effect compared to IV boluses.

A. Muscle atrophy: Prolonged immobilization leads to disuse atrophy of the skeletal muscles as they are not subjected to normal tension and workload. After 6 weeks in a cast, a noticeable decrease in the circumference of the calf and thigh muscles is a standard clinical finding.

B. Slow capillary refill: Capillary refill is a measure of peripheral perfusion and should return to normal once the restrictive cast is removed. Unless there is underlying vascular disease, the immobilization itself does not permanently impair the microcirculation of the toes or skin.

C. Inversion contracture: While joint stiffness is common after casting, a specific inversion contracture is not a standard expected finding of simple immobilization. Range of motion is typically restricted in all planes initially, but permanent pathological contractures are avoided through proper positioning and subsequent physical therapy.

D. Diminished pedal pulse: The presence of a cast does not typically cause a permanent decrease in arterial pulse strength once removed. Pulses should be palpable and strong unless a vascular complication occurred during the casting period. Immobilization affects muscle mass rather than arterial lumen integrity.