Question

Case Study, Chapter 13, Fluid and Electrolytes: Balance and Disturbance

1. Mrs. Dean is 75-year-old woman admitted to the hospital for a small bowel obstruction. Her medical history includes hypertension. Mrs. Dean is NPO. She has a nasogastric (NG) tube to low continuous suction. She has an IV of 0.9% NS at 83 mL/hr. Current medications include furosemide 20 mg daily and hydromorphone 0.2 mg every 4 hours, as needed for pain. The morning electrolytes reveal serum potassium of 3.2 mEq/L. (Learning Objective 4)

What are possible causes of a low potassium level?

What action should the nurse take in relation to the serum potassium level?

What clinical manifestations might the nurse assess in Mrs. Dean?

Answer 1

1. Possible causes of a low potassium level are given follow-
- Mrs. Dean is NPO, so this can be a cause of her low potassium level.
- Mrs. Dean is also taking Furosemide daily, which is a diuretic and can cause low potassium levels due to dehydration and low electrolyte levels in the blood.

2. Actions that should be taken by nurse in relation to the serum potassium level are :-
- The nurse should call the doctor and suggest an order for potassium to be administered to patient.

3. Clinical manifestations assessed by the nurse are as follow:-
-nasuea
-vomiting
-muscle weakness
-leg cramps
-fatigue
-hypoactive reflexes
-polyuria
-abdominal distention