NCLEX-RN · Question #730
Forty-eight hours after a thyroidectomy, a female client complains of numbness and tingling of the toes and fingers. The nurse notes upper arm and facial twitching. The nurse needs to:
The correct answer is A. Report the findings to the physician. (A) Muscular hyperactivity and parasthesias may indicate hypocalcemic tetany and require immediate administration of calcium gluconate. Tetany can occur if the parathyroid glands were erroneously excised during surgery. (B) Range of motion exercises are not appropriate…
Question
Forty-eight hours after a thyroidectomy, a female client complains of numbness and tingling of the toes and fingers. The nurse notes upper arm and facial twitching. The nurse needs to:
Options
- AReport the findings to the physician
- BAssist the client to do range of motion exercises
- CCheck the client's potassium level
- DAdminister the as-needed dose of phenytoin (Dilantin)
How the community answered
(46 responses)- A70% (32)
- B17% (8)
- C9% (4)
- D4% (2)
Explanation
(A) Muscular hyperactivity and parasthesias may indicate hypocalcemic tetany and require immediate administration of calcium gluconate. Tetany can occur if the parathyroid glands were erroneously excised during surgery. (B) Range of motion exercises are not appropriate topresenting symptoms. (C) These characteristics are not usual signs of potassium imbalance, but of calcium imbalance. (D) Phenytoin is indicated for seizure activity mainly of neurological origin.
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