A nurse is caring for a client who has liver cirrhosis with ascites, bleeding esophageal varices, and portal hypertension. The nurse recognizes which of the following laboratory findings as indicating the client's gastrointestinal (GI) tract is digesting and absorbing blood?

Rationale: A. Decreased bilirubin is unrelated to digestion of blood in the GI tract. B. Chloride levels do not indicate blood digestion. C. When a client with esophageal varices bleeds into the GI tract, the digestion and absorption of blood proteins lead to increased nitrogen load, reflected as elevated BUN. D. HbA1c reflects long-term blood glucose control, not acute digestion of blood.