A nurse is monitoring a client who has acute kidney injury. Which of the following laboratory findings should the nurse expect?

Rationale: A. In acute kidney injury (AKI), the kidneys lose their ability to excrete hydrogen ions and reabsorb bicarbonate properly, leading to the retention of acids. This results in metabolic acidosis, not alkalosis. B. AKI is commonly associated with hypocalcemia, not hypercalcemia, because the kidneys cannot convert vitamin D to its active form (calcitriol). This reduces calcium absorption from the intestines and leads to low serum calcium levels. C. Clients with AKI typically develop hyperkalemia, not hypokalemia. The kidneys are unable to effectively excrete potassium, causing it to accumulate in the bloodstream, which may lead to life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias. D. The blood urea nitrogen (BUN) level becomes elevated in AKI due to the accumulation of nitrogenous waste products in the blood. This occurs because the kidneys’ filtration capacity is impaired, leading to decreased clearance of urea and other metabolic by-products.