Question

The nurse is monitoring the laboratory results of a male client receiving antineoplastic medications. The nurse plans to initiate bleeding precautions if which of the laboratory values is noted?

a. Platelet count of 9
b. Hemoglobin count of 75
c. WBC count of 6000
d. None of the above

Answer 1

The nurse should initiate bleeding precautions if a patient being treated with antineoplastic medications has a platelet count of 9, as it is critically low and poses a high risk of bleeding.

Step-by-step explanation:

The nurse would plan to initiate bleeding precautions if the platelet count is notably low. Among the options provided, a. Platelet count of 9 would indicate a critical decrease in platelets, which are key to the coagulation process in the body. With a count that low, there is a significant risk of bleeding, hence, bleeding precautions are necessary. Normal platelet counts typically range from 150,000 to 450,000 per microliter of blood. Keeping in mind that antineoplastic medications can cause thrombocytopenia, monitoring the platelet count is crucial.