ELECTROLYTE IMBALANCE - EXAM
A client with urinary incontinence asks the nurse for suggestions about managing this
condition. Which suggestion would be most appropriate?
a)Make sure to eat enough fiber to prevent constipation.
b)Try drinking coffee throughout the day.
c)Use scented powders to disguise any odor.
d)Limit the number of times you urinate during the day.
ANS
- a) Make sure to eat enough fiber to prevent constipation.
Explanation: Suggestions to manage urinary incontinence include avoiding constipation such
as eating adequate fiber and drinking adequate amounts of fluid. Scented powders, lotions, or
sprays should be avoided because they can intensify the urine odor, irritate the skin, or cause
a skin infection. Stimulants such as caffeine, alcohol, and aspartame should be avoided. The
client should void regularly, approximately every 2 to 3 hours to ensure bladder emptying.
A client is frustrated and embarrassed by urinary incontinence. Which measure should the
nurse include in a bladder retraining program?
a) Restricting fluid intake to reduce the need to void
b) Establishing a predetermined fluid intake pattern for the client
c) Encouraging the client to increase the time between voidings
d) Assessing present voiding patterns
ANS
- D) Assessing present voiding patterns
Explanation: The guidelines for initiating bladder retraining include assessing the client's
present intake patterns, voiding patterns, and reasons for each accidental voiding. Lowering
the client's fluid intake won'tt reduce or prevent incontinence. The client should be
encouraged to drink 1.5 to 2 L of water per day. A voiding schedule should be established
after assessment.
A nursing instructor is reviewing with the class the steps in urine formation. Place in the
correct order from first to last the sequence the instructor would present.
-Filtrate enters Bowman's capsule
-Plasma filtered through glomerulus
-Formed urine drains from the collecting tubules, into the renal pelvis, and down each ureter
to the bladder
-Filtrate moves through tubular system of the nephron and is either reabsorped or excreted
ANS
- -Plasma filtered through glomerulus
-Filtrate enters Bowman's capsule
-Filtrate moves through tubular system of the nephron and is either reabsorped or excreted
,-Formed urine drains from the collecting tubules, into the renal pelvis, and down each ureter
to the bladder
A client is admitted for treatment of chronic renal failure (CRF). The nurse knows that this
disorder increases the client's risk of:
a) a decreased serum phosphate level secondary to kidney failure.
b) an increased serum calcium level secondary to kidney failure.
c) water and sodium retention secondary to a severe decrease in the glomerular filtration rate.
d) metabolic alkalosis secondary to retention of hydrogen ions.
ANS
- C) water and sodium retention secondary to a severe decrease in the glomerular filtration
rate.
Explanation: The client with CRF is at risk for fluid imbalance — dehydration if the kidneys
fail to concentrate urine, or fluid retention if the kidneys fail to produce urine. Electrolyte
imbalances associated with this disorder result from the kidneys inability to excrete
phosphorus; such imbalances may lead to hyperphosphatemia with reciprocal hypocalcemia.
CRF may cause metabolic acidosis, not metabolic alkalosis, secondary to inability of the
kidneys to excrete hydrogen ions.
Which is the correct term for the ability of the kidneys to clear solutes from the plasma?
a) Glomerular filtration rate (GFR)
b) Renal clearance
c) Specific gravity
d) Tubular secretion
ANS
- B) Renal Clearance
Explanation: Renal clearance refers to the ability of the kidneys to clear solutes from the
plasma. GFR is the volume of plasma filtered at the glomerulus into the kidney tubules each
minute. Specific gravity reflects the weight of particles dissolved in the urine. Tubular
secretion is the movement of a substance from the kidney tubule into the blood in the
peritubular capillaries or vasa recta.
The client presents with nausea and vomiting, absent bowel sounds, and colicky flank pain.
The nurse interprets these findings as consistent with:
a) Urethritis
b) Ureteral colic
c) Interstitial cystitis
d) Acute prostatitis
ANS
- B) Ureteral colic
, A client is admitted with nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. His blood pressure on admission is
74/30 mm Hg. The client is oliguric and his blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine levels
are elevated. The physician will most likely write an order for which treatment?
a) Start I.V. fluids with a normal saline solution bolus followed by a maintenance dose.
b) Administer furosemide (Lasix) 20 mg I.V.
c) Encourage oral fluids.
d) Start hemodialysis after a temporary access is obtained.
ANS
- A) Start IV fluids with normal saline solution bolus followed by a maintenance dose.
Explanation: The client is in prerenal failure caused by hypovolemia. I.V. fluids should be
given with a bolus of normal saline solution followed by maintenance I.V. therapy. This
treatment should rehydrate the client, causing his blood pressure to rise, his urine output to
increase, and the BUN and creatinine levels to normalize. The client wouldn't be able to
tolerate oral fluids because of the nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The client isn't fluid-
overloaded so his urine output won't increase with furosemide, which would actually worsen
the client's condition. The client doesn't require dialysis because the oliguria and elevated
BUN and creatinine levels are caused by dehydration.
Which of the following would the nurse expect to find when reviewing the laboratory test
results of a client with renal failure?
a) Increased red blood cell count
b) Decreased serum potassium level
c) Increased serum calcium level
d) Increased serum creatinine level
ANS
- D) Increased serum creatinine level
Explanation: In renal failure, laboratory blood tests reveal elevations in BUN, creatinine,
potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus. Calcium levels are low. The RBC count, hematocrit,
and hemoglobin are decreased.
A nurse assesses a client shortly after living donor kidney transplant surgery. Which
postoperative finding must the nurse report to the physician immediately?
a) Serum sodium level of 135 mEq/L
b) Serum potassium level of 4.9 mEq/L
c) Temperature of 99.2° F (37.3° C)
d) Urine output of 20 ml/hour
ANS
- D) Urine output of 20 ml/hour
Explanation: Because kidney transplantation carries the risk of transplant rejection, infection,
and other serious complications, the nurse should monitor the client's urinary function
closely. A decrease from the normal urine output of 30 ml/hour is significant and warrants
immediate physician notification. A serum potassium level of 4.9 mEq/L, a serum sodium
level of 135 mEq/L, and a temperature of 99.2° F are normal assessment findings.