Introduction
Introduction ( 5 Questions)
A nurse is assessing a postpartum client who reports leg pain and tenderness.
The nurse observes unilateral swelling, warmth, and redness of the lower extremity.
Which of the following conditions should the nurse suspect?
Superficial thrombophlebitis is not as severe as DVT and does not usually cause swelling of the whole leg.
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a condition where a blood clot forms in a deep vein, usually in the leg. It can cause pain, swelling, redness and warmth in the affected area. DVT is more serious than superficial thrombophlebitis, which is inflammation of a vein near the skin due to a blood clot. DVT can lead to complications such as pulmonary embolism, which is a life-threatening condition where the blood clot travels to the lungs and blocks an artery.
Pulmonary embolism is not a condition of the leg, but a complication of DVT that affects the lungs.
Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is a disorder that causes low platelet count and bleeding problems, not blood clots.
The correct answer is choice B. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a condition where a blood clot forms in a deep vein, usually in the leg. It can cause pain, swelling, redness and warmth in the affected area. DVT is more serious than superficial thrombophlebitis, which is inflammation of a vein near the skin due to a blood clot. DVT can lead to complications such as pulmonary embolism, which is a life-threatening condition where the blood clot travels to the lungs and blocks an artery.
Choice A is wrong because superficial thrombophlebitis is not as severe as DVT and does not usually cause swelling of the whole leg.
Choice C is wrong because pulmonary embolism is not a condition of the leg, but a complication of DVT that affects the lungs.
Choice D is wrong because idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is a disorder that causes low platelet count and bleeding problems, not blood clots.
Normal ranges for platelet count are 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter of blood. Normal ranges for D-dimer test are less than 0.5 micrograms per milliliter of blood.