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 hydrmophone 0.2 mg every 4 hours as needed for pain. The morning electrolytes reveal serum potassium of 3.2 mEg/L
Qn 1: what are possible causes of a low potassium level?
Qn 2: what action should the nurse take in relation to the serum potassium level ?
Qn 3: What clinical manifestations might the nurse assess in Mrs Dean?
Solution Preview
1. The main reason for hypokalemia or low potassium level in Mrs Dean is the use of furosemide, a loop diuretics. The NPO status also adds to the problem. The low suction may contribute to the hypokalemia by the loss of gastric hydrochloric acid. Loo…
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