You have a patient with Acute Kidney injury. You monitor the patient for: (Select all that apply, may be one or more)
Explanation & Rationale
A. Hypernatremia: Sodium levels are usually normal or low in AKI because impaired kidney function often causes fluid retention and dilutional hyponatremia. Hypernatremia is less common unless influenced by external sodium administration. B. ECG changes: Electrolyte imbalances, particularly hyperkalemia, can lead to ECG abnormalities such as peaked T waves, widened QRS complexes, or arrhythmias. Continuous cardiac monitoring is essential for patient safety. C. Hypotension: While hypotension can cause AKI (prerenal), once the patient has AKI, they are more likely to experience Hypertension due to fluid volume overload and the activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. D. Pulmonary edema: Volume overload can lead to pulmonary congestion, crackles, and respiratory distress. Monitoring respiratory status and oxygen saturation is critical to detect and manage this complication. E. Urine with high specific gravity: In intrarenal AKI (Acute Tubular Necrosis), the kidneys lose their ability to concentrate urine. The specific gravity becomes "fixed" at around 1.010, which is the same as the osmolality of plasma.