Sickle Cell Anemia
Hydroxyurea is a treatment for sickle cell anemia and is cytotoxic. This means the nurse must do this when administering.
What is wear gloves?
What is once daily?
A patient will heart failure will have this elevated lab value.
Bonus: A patient with a PE will have this elevated lab value.
What is BNP?
What is D dimer?
These are concerning symptoms of high blood pressure.
What is headache and blurry vision?
These are symptoms of hyperthyroidism or overcorrection of hypothyroidism with too much levothyroxine.
What is sweating, tachycardia, anxiety?
Hydroxyurea comes in a capsule and therefore the nurse cannot do any of these things when administering (3 things).
What is open the capsule, cut the capsule, or crush the capsule?
What is insulin? Even if the patient does not take insulin at home.
This is the priority when treating a patient with acute heart failure.
What is alleviating shortness of breath by raising head of bed and administering IV furosemide?
This should be monitored when labetalol IV is given for hypertensive emergency.
What is heart rate and blood pressure?
These are potential cardiac complications of thyroid storm.
What is high blood pressure, heart failure, arrhythmias, chest pain?
A sickle cell patient has a fever and the nurse will suspect this to be the cause.
What is acute chest syndrome?
This IV fluid is used to prevent hypoglycemia in patients with diabetes.
What is IVF with dextrose?
These medications are standard treatments for heart failure.
What are digoxin, spironolactone, lisinopril, valsartan, metoprolol?
The nurse should educate the patient that they may experience this side effects after labetalol IV is given.
What is light headed/dizziness and nausea? Keep HOB elevated, patient in bed. If they have to pee, walk them there. Reassess BP in 15 minutes.
These medications may be administered for cardiac complications associated with thyroid storm.
What are blood pressure and heart rate medications? Amlodipine, propranolol.
These are the expected orders to diagnose and treat acute chest syndrome.
What is chest x-ray and broad spectrum antibiotics?
This A1c indicates diabetes.
Bonus: A1c indicates blood sugar over this much time.
What is an A1c 6.5% or above?
What is over 2-3 months?
This would indicate that the loop diuretic is working.
This would indicate worsening of congestive heart failure.
What is decreased weight?
What is pink, frothy sputum?
This should be done if the nurse is unsure of the accuracy of an automatic blood pressure reading.
What is take a manual blood pressure?
These medications would be held during thyroid storm.
What is levothyroxine and metformin (if glucose low)?
These are side effects that a patient may experience from heparin injections.
What are bruising at the injection site and signs of excessive bleeding such as bleeding gums?
Insulin lispro given before a meal takes less than this many minutes to work.
Bonus: The nurse should assess for hypoglycemia this many minutes after administering insulin lispro.
What is less than 15 minutes?
What is 30-90 minutes? (1 hour)
This medication can be used to treat PVCs and ventricular arrhythmias.
What is lidocaine drip?
These are some patient education points for patients on antihypertensive medications.
What is keep a BP log at home, take medications as prescribed without missing a dose or taking extra, call the provider if BP remains elevated above the goal.
These signs and symptoms would indicate that the treatment for thyroid storm is working.
What is decreased anxiety, decreased heart rate, and normal body temperature?