Editing Maternal and Newborn Nursing – LPN Practice Questions (section)

==Question 14==
An LPN observes yellow discoloration of the skin and sclerae in a newborn who is 14 hours old. What should the LPN do?
# Report the finding to the registered nurse immediately.
# Document it as physiologic jaundice and place the infant near a sunny window.
# Offer the infant sterile water between feedings to flush out bilirubin.
# Recheck the infant's color at the end of the shift.

'''Answer:''' 1 (A). Report the finding to the registered nurse immediately.

''Rationale:'' Jaundice appearing within the '''first 24 hours of life is pathologic until proven otherwise''' and suggests hemolysis such as Rh or ABO incompatibility, infection, or a metabolic cause. It requires prompt bilirubin measurement because rapidly rising unconjugated bilirubin can cross the blood-brain barrier and cause permanent injury. Physiologic jaundice appears '''after''' 24 hours, so option 2 misidentifies the finding, and placing an infant in direct sun is unsafe because of burn and temperature risks. Option 3 is incorrect: water does not lower bilirubin, and frequent breast or formula feeding is what promotes bilirubin excretion in the stool. Option 4 delays care.