Question

While reviewing the laboratory reports of a patient with hemophilia, the nurse finds that the patient has passed black, tarry stools. What should the nurse interpret from these findings?

Answer 1

Black, tarry stools in a patient with hemophilia suggest gastrointestinal bleeding, likely due to a deficiency in clotting factors and the presence of digested blood.

Step-by-step explanation:

The nurse should interpret black, tarry stools in a patient with hemophilia as a potential sign of gastrointestinal bleeding, likely due to the inadequate production of clotting factors such as factor VIII in hemophilia A or factor IX in hemophilia B. In hemophilia, even minor internal bleeding can be serious due to the body's impaired ability to form blood clots. The dark color of the stool, often described as melena, is indicative of blood that has been digested and suggests that bleeding may be occurring in the upper gastrointestinal tract. This serious complication warrants immediate medical evaluation and intervention. Additionally, the breakdown pigments from the destruction of hemoglobin also contribute to color changes in stool, such as the brown color produced by stercobilins.