A middle-age male patient arrived at the Emergency Department with a one-week hi

Question

A middle-age male patient arrived at the Emergency Department with a one-week history of a “stomach bug” characterized by extreme fatigue, persistent nausea and frequent, watery diarrhea. His only medications were metoprolol 50 mg b.i.d. and hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg daily for hypertension. Until this episode, the patient had been in relatively good health. Evaluation in the Emergency Department revealed the patient to have a pulse of 130, B/P of 78/50, respirations of 26, creatinine of 8, potassium of 2.8 and sodium of 150. Arterial blood gases revealed a pH of 7.28, PCO2 of 45, and HCO3 of 20. He was admitted emergently to the Intensive Care Unit. List two (2) suitable nursing diagnoses for this patient.

Explanation / Answer

Normal pulse rate is 60-100beats per minute. Here it is 130, i.e a high pulse rate.

The creatinine level is extremely high, means kidney functioning is not proper. The patient may require dialysis in some time after admitting.

Potassium value is slightly low, and sodium value is almost ok. (optimum is 145m equivalents per litre). Diarrhoea indicates that the patient must be suffering from dehydration as well. Slight acidosis is also there. All these symptoms may be due to abnormal kidney function

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse A
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.