Question

A client has been admitted to the nursing unit with a 3-day history of severe nausea and vomiting with diarrhea. The client is experiencing fatigue, anorexia, and muscle weakness. Based on this history, which laboratory findings should the nurse expect to find?

a. Calcium 11.6 mg/dL
b. Sodium 144 mEq/L
c. Potassium 2.9 mEq/L
d. Calcium 7.4 mEq/L

Answer 1

The expected laboratory finding for a client with a 3-day history of severe nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, indicating fatigue, anorexia, and muscle weakness, is hypokalemia, indicated by c. Potassium 2.9 mEq/L, which is below the normal blood potassium level range.

Step-by-step explanation:

Based on the client's history of severe nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, along with symptoms of fatigue, anorexia, and muscle weakness, the nurse can expect certain laboratory findings that indicate electrolyte imbalances. Prolonged vomiting and diarrhea can lead to a significant loss of digestive fluids, in which potassium, sodium, and chloride ions may be lost in large quantities.

The client's symptoms suggest that they may be experiencing hypokalemia, which is a low level of potassium in the blood. As laboratory finding c. Potassium 2.9 mEq/L is below the normal reference range (typically around 3.6–5.2 mEq/L), it would be the expected finding in this case, indicating the client is suffering from hypokalemia due to the excessive loss of potassium through vomiting and diarrhea.