Maternity Nursing: Antepartum Q 37

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A 21-year old client, 6 weeks pregnant is diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum. This excessive vomiting during pregnancy will often result in which of the following conditions?

  

     A. Bowel perforation

     B. Electrolyte imbalance

     C. Miscarriage

     D. Pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH)

    

    

Correct Answer: B. Electrolyte imbalance.

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Excessive vomiting in clients with hyperemesis gravidarum often causes weight loss and fluid, electrolyte, and acid-base imbalances. Severe hyperemesis requiring hospital admission occurs in 0.3-2% of pregnancies.

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Option A: Gastrointestinal perforation (GP) occurs when a hole forms all the way through the stomach, large bowel, or small intestine. It can be due to a number of different diseases, including appendicitis and diverticulitis. It can also be the result of trauma, such as a knife wound or gunshot wound.

Option C: Most miscarriages occur because the fetus isn’t developing normally. About 50 percent of miscarriages are associated with extra or missing chromosomes. Most often, chromosome problems result from errors that occur by chance as the embryo divides and grows — not problems inherited from the parents.

Option D: Gestational hypertension refers to hypertension with onset in the latter part of pregnancy (>20 weeks’ gestation) without any other features of preeclampsia, and followed by normalization of the blood pressure postpartum. Of women who initially present with apparent gestational hypertension, about one third develops the syndrome of preeclampsia.

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