ATI RN
Fluid and Electrolytes ATI Questions
Question 1 of 5
A 65-year-old male patient was admitted to a medical-surgical unit 72 hours ago with pyloric stenosis; a nasogastric tube was inserted upon admission and has been on low intermittent suction since then. The nurse taking care of the patient notices that his potassium is very low and becomes concerned that the patient may be at risk for:
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Probably the most common cause of metabolic alkalosis is vomiting or gastric suction with loss of hydrogen and chloride ions. The disorder also occurs in pyloric stenosis in which only gastric fluid is lost. Vomiting, gastric suction, and pyloric stenosis all remove potassium and can cause hypokalemia.
Question 2 of 5
A patient with hypokalemia and heart failure is admitted to the telemetry unit. The nurse is aware that hypokalemia could cause which of the following abnormalities on an electrocardiogram (ECG)?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Hypokalemia often causes characteristic ECG changes, including an elevated U wave and flattened T waves.
Question 3 of 5
The nurse is admitting a patient with a suspected fluid imbalance. The most sensitive indicator of body fluid balance is:
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Daily weights show trends and can assist medical management by indicating if interventions and medications are effective. Laboratory data are objective data that indicate whether electrolyte levels are within normal limits for the patient with fluid balance problems. However, if a patient is dehydrated, some laboratory data can show false elevations. Intake and output is extremely important, but matching the two is difficult because fluid is also lost through breathing, perspiration, stool, and surgical tubes. Vital signs may or may not be helpful because heart rate and blood pressure can be elevated by either depletion or excess of fluids in some situations.
Question 4 of 5
A female patient is discharged from the hospital after having an episode of heart failure. She's prescribed daily oral doses of digoxin (Lanoxin) and furosemide (Lasix). Two days later, she tells her community health nurse that she feels weak and her heart 'flutters' frequently. What action should the nurse take?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Furosemide is a potassium-wasting diuretic. A low potassium level may cause weakness and palpitations. Telling the patient to rest more often won't help the patient if she's hypokalemic. Digoxin isn't causing the patient's symptoms, so she doesn't need to stop taking it. The patient should probably avoid caffeine, but this wouldn't resolve potassium depletion.
Question 5 of 5
The patient asks the nurse if he will die if air bubbles get into the IV tubing. What is the nurse's best response?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: An air emboli is more often associated with central vein access. Usually only relatively large volumes of air administered rapidly are dangerous. It is more often a concern when air enters a central venous access line.
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