Question

A patient on the medical unit has a documented history of polycystic kidney disease (PKD). What principle should guide the nurses care of this patient?

A) The disease is self-limiting and cysts usually resolve spontaneously in the fifth or sixth decade of life.
B) The patients disease is incurable and the nurses interventions will be supportive.
C) The patient will eventually require surgical removal of his or her renal cysts.
D) The patient is likely to respond favorably to lithotripsy treatment of the cysts.

Answer 1

The correct guide for nursing care of a patient with polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is understanding that the disease is incurable and care will be supportive, potentially including hemodialysis or kidney transplantation.

The guiding principle in caring for a patient with polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is that the patient's disease is incurable and nursing interventions will primarily be supportive. PKD is a genetic disorder characterized by the growth of multiple abnormal cysts in the kidneys, which can lead to kidney failure and necessitate treatments such as kidney transplantation or hemodialysis when kidney function is severely compromised.

Options such as spontaneous resolution of cysts, surgical removal of individual cysts, or lithotripsy are not typical treatments for PKD. Therefore, the correct answer is B) The patient's disease is incurable and the nurses' interventions will be supportive.