Patient Education and Discharge Planning
Patient Education and Discharge Planning ( 5 Questions)
A nurse is caring for a client who has preterm labor.
Which finding should the nurse report as a potential complication of preterm labor?
Decreased fetal heart rate is not a complication of preterm labor, but a sign of fetal distress that may indicate a problem with the placenta, umbilical cord or fetus.
Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a potential complication of preterm labor that affects the intestines of premature infants. NEC can cause inflammation, infection and tissue death in the bowel, leading to serious problems such as perforation, sepsis and shock. NEC usually occurs within the first two weeks of life and requires immediate medical attention.
Hypothermia due to low fat stores is not a complication of preterm labor, but a common condition of premature infants who have difficulty maintaining their body temperature due to their immature skin and lack of subcutaneous fat.
Increased amniotic fluid production is not a complication of preterm labor, but a condition called polyhydramnios that may occur in pregnancies with multiple fetuses, diabetes, fetal anomalies or infections. Polyhydramnios can increase the risk of preterm labor, but it is not a consequence of it.
Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a potential complication of preterm labor that affects the intestines of premature infants. NEC can cause inflammation, infection and tissue death in the bowel, leading to serious problems such as perforation, sepsis and shock. NEC usually occurs within the first two weeks of life and requires immediate medical attention.
Choice A is wrong because decreased fetal heart rate is not a complication of preterm labor, but a sign of fetal distress that may indicate a problem with the placenta, umbilical cord or fetus.
Choice C is wrong because hypothermia due to low fat stores is not a complication of preterm labor, but a common condition of premature infants who have difficulty maintaining their body temperature due to their immature skin and lack of subcutaneous fat.
Choice D is wrong because increased amniotic fluid production is not a complication of preterm labor, but a condition called polyhydramnios that may occur in pregnancies with multiple fetuses, diabetes, fetal anomalies or infections. Polyhydramnios can increase the risk of preterm labor, but it is not a consequence of it.