Final answer:
C) Difficulty swallowing
A nurse should expect to find symptoms of hypokalemia in a patient with a potassium level of 3.2 MEQ/L, such as difficulty swallowing. Chronic diarrhea and certain emergencies with low blood pressure can indicate a potassium deficiency. The treatment for hypokalemia often includes IV potassium chloride.
Step-by-step explanation:
A nurse collecting data from an adult client who has a potassium level of 3.2 MEQ/L should expect to find symptoms consistent with hypokalemia, which is a lower-than-normal level of potassium in the bloodstream. The symptoms of hypokalemia can vary, but they often include muscular weakness, cramps, and fatigue. Since the question options are not fully listed, the best fit symptom among the provided options is difficulty swallowing (C), which can occur in severe cases due to muscle weakness. Other potential findings not listed might include cardiac arrhythmias and constipation.
For instance, a patient suffering from chronic watery diarrhea is likely to have an associated loss of potassium, as well as a patient arriving in the emergency department with low blood pressure, confusion, and thirst might also indicate a deficiency in electrolytes, including potassium. Diabetes insipidus or diabetes mellitus would likely be indicated by polyuria. Out of the clinical scenarios provided, the most relevant to a low potassium level would be the diarrhea, which can cause significant loss of this electrolyte.
In clinical practice, when hypokalemia is diagnosed, a physician might order intravenous (IV) delivery of potassium chloride (KCl) to correct the deficiency, as seen in the scenario with a nurse providing 0.5% KCl IV for a patient.