Final answer:
To determine a patient's recovery from hypernatremia after administering IV fluids, a nurse would check for normalization of sodium levels in the blood. This is the primary indicator that the hypernatremic state has been corrected. option 3
Step-by-step explanation:
The nurse would know that a patient is back to normal after giving IV fluids to a patient with hypernatremia once the patient's sodium levels return to normal. Hypernatremia is a condition where there is a high concentration of sodium in the blood. The administration of intravenous fluids is intended to balance the osmotic difference and restore normal sodium levels. As the body's osmolality is regulated, the water shifting between compartments is minimized, which reduces the cell swelling and corrects the abnormal sodium levels. Therefore, the nurse would look for lab results indicating that the patient's sodium levels have fallen back within the normal range, signaling that the condition has been corrected.
An increased urine output is typically a sign that excess sodium is being excreted, and kidneys are functioning to return fluid balance. Blood pressure (BP) would not necessarily increase or decrease in a predictable manner solely due to the correction of sodium levels unless there was significant volume depletion or overload, which the IV fluids should be addressing. Hence, the best indicator of the patient returning to normal after treatment for hypernatremia would be normalization of their sodium levels.