The nurse is gathering data on a 5-week-old admitted with a suspected diagnosis of pyloric stenosis. The nurse should expect to find which laboratory value?

Question

The nurse is gathering data on a 5-week-old admitted with a suspected diagnosis of pyloric stenosis.  The nurse should expect to find which laboratory value?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

11ecbb05_caac_b7a4_b433_c31a04000fb2_MD0009_00 In pyloric stenosis, a hypertrophied pyloric muscle causes postprandial projectile vomiting secondary to an obstruction at the gastric outlet. An olive-shaped mass may be palpated in the epigastric area just to the right of the umbilicus. Emesis is nonbilious (formula in/formula out) and leads to progressive dehydration. Infants will be hungry constantly despite regular feedings. A hematocrit of 57% (0.57) is elevated and indicative of hemoconcentration caused by dehydration (Option B). Elevated blood urea nitrogen is also a sign of dehydration. (Option A) The stomach contains acid, which becomes depleted with excess vomiting (or during nasogastric [NG] suctioning), leading to metabolic alkalosis (increased bicarbonate and pH of >7.45). (Option C) A potassium level of 5.2 mEq/L (5.2 mmol/L) is considered slightly elevated. However, vomiting or prolonged NG suctioning would cause hypokalemia, not hyperkalemia. (Option D) A white blood cell count of 28,500/mm³ (28.5 x 10⁹/L) is elevated, indicating infection. However, pyloric stenosis is not an infectious process. Educational objective: Hypertrophic pyloric stenosis results in recurrent projectile vomiting, which leads to dehydration and hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis. Dehydration is manifested by hemoconcentration (elevated hematocrit) and elevated blood urea nitrogen.

The Nurse Is Gathering Data on a 5-Week-Old Admitted with a Suspected