Question

A patient is taking Digoxin. Prior to administration you check the patient's apical pulse and find it to be 61 bpm. Morning lab values are the following: K+ 3.3 and Digoxin level of 5 ng/mL. Which of the following is the correct nursing action?

A. Hold this dose and administer the second dose at 1800.

B. Administer the dose as ordered.

C. Hold the dose and notify the physician of the Digoxin level.

D. Hold this dose until the patient's potassium level is normal.

Answer 1

Hold the dose of Digoxin and notify the physician due to a toxic level of 5 ng/mL, even though the potassium level is also low.

Step-by-step explanation:

A patient is taking Digoxin and has an apical pulse of 61 bpm, with lab values showing a K+ level of 3.3 and a high Digoxin level of 5 ng/mL. The correct nursing action would be to hold the dose and notify the physician of the Digoxin level (option C) because a Digoxin level of 5 ng/mL is usually considered toxic. Normal therapeutic levels of Digoxin are typically between 0.5 and 2 ng/mL. The low potassium level can increase the risk of Digoxin toxicity; however, treating Digoxin toxicity is the immediate priority, hence notification of the physician is imperative.