Fluid and Electrolyte Balance Flashcards
7 cards from real NACE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Fluid and Electrolyte Balance flashcards as text
A client taking furosemide reports muscle cramps and weakness. The nurse checks the lab results and finds a serum potassium of 3.1 mEq/L. Which action is the priority?
Answer: Hold the furosemide and notify the provider
Hypokalemia (K+ < 3.5 mEq/L) with symptoms requires holding a potassium-wasting diuretic and notifying the provider to prevent life-threatening dysrhythmias.
Which arterial blood gas result indicates metabolic alkalosis with respiratory compensation?
Answer: pH 7.50, PaCO2 48, HCO3 36
pH 7.50 (alkalotic), elevated HCO3 36 (metabolic cause), and elevated PaCO2 48 (respiratory compensation by retaining CO2) indicate compensated metabolic alkalosis.
A client presents with confusion, muscle twitching, and a serum sodium of 122 mEq/L. What is the most likely cause of these neurological symptoms?
Answer: Cerebral edema from hypotonic fluid shifting into brain cells
Severe hyponatremia causes water to shift into brain cells, leading to cerebral edema and neurological symptoms such as confusion and seizures.
Which client is at greatest risk for developing hypermagnesemia?
Answer: A 70-year-old with chronic kidney disease taking magnesium-containing antacids
Impaired renal excretion combined with magnesium intake from antacids places clients with chronic kidney disease at highest risk for hypermagnesemia.
The nurse assesses a client and notes weak, irregular pulse, flat T waves on ECG, and abdominal distension. Which electrolyte imbalance is most likely?
Answer: Hypokalemia
Flat or inverted T waves, U waves, weak pulse, and decreased GI motility (distension) are classic ECG and clinical signs of hypokalemia.
A client is prescribed 3% hypertonic saline for severe hyponatremia. Which complication should the nurse monitor for during infusion?
Answer: Osmotic demyelination syndrome if corrected too rapidly
Correcting chronic hyponatremia too quickly with hypertonic saline can cause osmotic demyelination syndrome (central pontine myelinolysis), a severe neurological complication.
Which finding indicates that fluid resuscitation for a client in hypovolemic shock is effective?
Answer: Urine output increases from 10 mL/hr to 40 mL/hr
Urine output of 30–50 mL/hr indicates adequate renal perfusion and is a key indicator of effective fluid resuscitation.