Pediatric Nursing Q 161
A physician prescribes an IV solution of 500 ml 0.45% Saline with an incorporation of 20mEq potassium chloride for a child with dehydration. The nurse should check which of the following before administering this IV prescription?
A. Blood pressure
B. Height
C. Weight
D. Urine output
Correct Answer: D. Urine output
When it comes to hypotonic dehydration, electrolyte loss exceeds water loss. The priority assessment for the nurse is to check the urinary output before the administration. Potassium chloride is contraindicated for patients with oliguria or anuria. The body becomes dehydrated when it loses more fluids than it consumes. When the body doesn’t have enough fluids, it can’t process potassium properly, and potassium builds up in the blood, which can lead to hyperkalemia.
Option A: Many randomized trials have shown that potassium chloride supplementation lowers blood pressure. However, potassium in fruits and vegetables is not a chloride salt, but a mixture of potassium phosphate, sulfate, citrate, and many organic anions including proteins.
Option B: A substantial decrease in potassium occurs over the 20-80 age range (33 % for males and 39 % for females), suggesting that two processes, dilution of body K concentration by added fat and reduction in muscle mass, are both occurring. Standard gives greater emphasis to height than to weight.
Option C: There is some evidence from cross-sectional studies that potassium intake may be negatively linked to obesity. In three different reports from Korea and Japan, there appeared to be a trend for the lower prevalence of obesity or the MS with higher consumption of potassium.