Maternity Nursing: Antepartum Q 16
In the 12th week of gestation, a client completely expels the products of conception. Because the client is Rh-negative, the nurse must:
A. Administer RhoGAM within 72 hours.
B. Make certain she receives RhoGAM on her first clinic visit.
C. Not give RhoGAM, since it is not used with the birth of a stillborn.
D. Make certain the client does not receive RhoGAM since the gestation only lasted 12 weeks.
Correct Answer: A. Administer RhoGAM within 72 hours.
RhoGAM is given within 72 hours postpartum if the client has not been sensitized already. When the blood of an Rh-positive fetus gets into the bloodstream of an Rh-negative woman, her body will recognize that the Rh-positive blood is not hers. Her body will try to destroy it by making anti-Rh antibodies. These antibodies can cross the placenta and attack the fetus’s blood cells. This can lead to serious health problems, even death, for a fetus or a newborn.
Option B: RhoGAM is a prescription medicine that is used to prevent Rh immunization, a condition in which an individual with Rh-negative blood develops antibodies after exposure to Rh-positive blood. RhoGAM is administered by intramuscular (IM) injection. RhoGAM is purified from human plasma containing anti-Rh (anti-D).
Option C: The doctor will administer at least one dose of RhoGAM between 26 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. If the baby is found to be Rh-positive at birth, the mother will receive an additional dose within 72 hours after delivery.
Option D: 1 Rh-negative pregnant woman in 5 will become sensitive to the Rh-positive factor if she doesn’t receive RhoGAM. That means that her baby can be born with one or more of the following things: anemia, a lack of healthy red blood cells. heart failure.