Question

A patient who had a total hip replacement had an intraoperative hemorrhage 14 hours ago. Which laboratory result would the nurse expect to find?

a. Hematocrit of 46%
b. Hemoglobin of 13.8 g/dL
c. Elevated reticulocyte count
d. Decreased white blood cell (WBC) count

Answer 1

The nurse would expect to find a hematocrit of 46% in a patient who had an intraoperative hemorrhage 14 hours ago.

Step-by-step explanation:

The nurse would expect to find a hematocrit of 46% in a patient who had an intraoperative hemorrhage 14 hours ago. Hematocrit measures the percentage of blood volume occupied by red blood cells. In cases of hemorrhage, the body responds by releasing more red blood cells to compensate for the loss, leading to an increase in hematocrit.