An 8-year-old child is receiving digoxin (Lanoxin) for congestive heart failure (CHF). In assessing the child, the nurse finds that her apical heart rate
... [Show More] is 80 beats/min, she complains of being slightly nauseated, and her serum digoxin level is 1.2 ng/mL. What action should the nurse take?
A.Because the child's heart rate and digoxin level are within normal range, assess for the cause of the nausea.
B.Hold the next dose of digoxin until the health care provider can be notified because the serum digoxin level is elevated.
C.Administer the next dose of digoxin and notify the health care provider that the child is showing signs of toxicity.
D.Notify the health care provider that the child's pulse rate is below normal for her age group. A
Rationale:
Nausea and vomiting are early signs of digoxin toxicity. However, the normal resting heart rate for a child 8 to 10 years of age is 70 to 110 beats/min and the therapeutic range of serum digoxin levels is 0.5 to 2 ng/mL. Based on the objective data, (A) is the best of the choices provided because the serum digoxin level is within normal levels. (B) is not warranted by the data presented. The digoxin level is within the therapeutic range and the child is not showing signs of toxicity (C). The child's pulse rate is within normal range for her age group (D).
A 12-year-old boy complains to the nurse that he is "short" (4'5" [53 inches]). His twin sister is 5 inches taller than he is (4'10" [58 inches]). Based on these findings, what conclusion should the nurse reach?
A.The boy is not growing as normally expected.
B.The girl is experiencing a period of unexpected growth.
C.A normal growth spurt occurs in girls 1 to 2 years earlier than boys.
D.Male-female twins are not identical; therefore, their growth cannot be compared. C
Rationale:
Girls experience a growth spurt at 9.5 to 14.5 years of age and boys at 10.5 to 16 years of age (C). There are insufficient data to support (A); growth trends must be assessed to reach such a conclusion. (B) is not unexpected. The fact that the children are twins has less to do with their growth than the fact that they are male and female (D). [Show Less]