Which of the following is a common side effect of administering lucinactant to an infant with respiratory distress syndrome?

Choice A rationale Transient bradycardia, a temporary slowing of the heart rate, is a common and expected side effect of administering lucinactant or other pulmonary surfactants, often associated with the rapid instillation of the medication or the subsequent transient changes in pulmonary blood flow and oxygenation. The nurse should be prepared to monitor heart rate closely and manage this brief decrease, which typically resolves spontaneously as the drug distributes and lung compliance improves. Choice B rationale Severe hyperglycemia, an abnormally high blood glucose level, is not typically a direct side effect of lucinactant administration. Surfactant administration primarily affects pulmonary mechanics and gas exchange, whereas hyperglycemia in a neonate with respiratory distress syndrome is more commonly related to stress, high glucose intravenous infusions, or sepsis, not the surfactant itself. Normal neonatal blood glucose range is 50 to 110 mg/dL. Choice C rationale Lucinactant is given to treat respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) by lowering surface tension, which improves alveolar recruitment and gas exchange, thus reducing hypoxemia and hypercapnia. Prolonged respiratory alkalosis, which is a high blood pH due to excessive carbon dioxide removal, is not a typical side effect; rather, the goal is to correct the respiratory acidosis (low pH, high carbon dioxide) common in RDS. Choice D rationale Acute kidney injury (AKI), a sudden decline in renal function, is not a recognized direct side effect of lucinactant administration. AKI in infants with RDS is more often associated with systemic issues like sepsis, hypotension, poor perfusion secondary to patent ductus arteriosus, or nephrotoxic medications, and is not a direct effect of the administered pulmonary surfactant.