Editing Pharmacology – LPN Practice Questions (section)

==Question 8==
A client with type 1 diabetes is alert and reports feeling shaky, sweaty, and confused. The fingerstick glucose is 54 mg/dL. What should the nurse do first?
# Give the client 4 ounces of fruit juice
# Administer the client's scheduled dose of insulin glargine
# Call the registered nurse and wait for direction before acting
# Give the client a peanut butter sandwich and recheck in one hour

'''Answer:''' 1 (A) Give the client 4 ounces of fruit juice.

''Rationale:'' For a conscious client with hypoglycemia, treatment is 15 grams of fast-acting carbohydrate, such as 4 ounces of juice or regular soda, 3 to 4 glucose tablets, or a tablespoon of honey, followed by a recheck in 15 minutes and repeat treatment if the glucose is still low. Once it normalizes, a protein-containing snack helps sustain it if a meal is not due. Option 2 would deepen the hypoglycemia. Option 3 delays urgent treatment, though the nurse does report the event promptly after treating. Option 4 acts too slowly as initial treatment because fat and protein delay glucose absorption.